加害

• Reading: かがい
• Romaji: kagai
• Kanji breakdown: 加 (ka) — add, inflict, apply; 害 (gai) — harm, injury, damage
• Pronunciation: /ka.ɡa.i/

Meaning

Inflicting harm; perpetration; the act of causing injury, damage, or loss to another person.

Composed of 加 (to add/inflict) and 害 (harm/damage). Always used in relation to an act directed at another — 加害者 (perpetrator/aggressor) is the central compound. Contrasted with 被害 (suffering harm) and 被害者 (victim). Used in legal, social welfare, educational, and journalistic contexts, especially in discussions of bullying (いじめ), domestic violence, and criminal behaviour.

Examples

1. 加害者が自分の行為の重大性を認識することが、再犯防止の出発点となる。 The perpetrator recognising the gravity of their actions is the starting point for preventing reoffending.
2. いじめ問題では、加害と被害の境界が曖昧になるケースも少なくない。 In cases of bullying, it is not uncommon for the boundary between perpetration and victimisation to become blurred.
3. 事故の加害側と被害側の双方が、心理的なケアを必要としていた。 Both the perpetrating party and the victim of the accident were in need of psychological care.

Usage Guide

Context: law, society, crime, ethics, bullying, education

Tone: serious

Origin & History

加 (ka, to add/apply/inflict) + 害 (gai, harm/injury/damage). A legal and ethical compound framing the act of harming as something actively imposed upon another. Used in Japanese legal texts from the Meiji period onwards.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji–Contemporary

Generation: Adults

Social background: General