打ち首

• Reading: うちくび
• Romaji: uchikubi
• Kanji breakdown: 打 (da/u) — strike, hit; 首 (shū/kubi) — neck, head
• Pronunciation: /ɯ.tɕi.kɯ.bi/

Meaning

Beheading; decapitation; capital punishment by decapitation. A method of execution historically used in Japan.

Composed of 打ち (to strike/cut) and 首 (head/neck). A term associated primarily with Edo-period justice, when beheading was the severest form of execution reserved for the most serious crimes. The compound 打ち首獄門 added public display of the severed head as an additional punishment. In modern usage it appears mainly in historical dramas and literature. Occasional colloquial use to mean 'to be fired' is rare and archaic.

Examples

1. 江戸時代には、重大な罪を犯した者は打ち首の刑に処せられることが多かった。 During the Edo period, those who committed serious crimes were often sentenced to death by beheading.
2. 歴史小説の中で、謀反を企てた武士が打ち首になる場面は緊張感に満ちていた。 In a historical novel, the scene in which a samurai who had plotted a revolt was beheaded was filled with tension.
3. 打ち首獄門とは、首をさらし台にかける最も重い刑罰を指す言葉だった。 The term 打ち首獄門 referred to the most severe punishment, which involved displaying the severed head on a pillory.

Usage Guide

Context: history, law, literature, historical drama

Tone: serious

Origin & History

打ち (uchi, strike/cut, from the verb 打つ) + 首 (kubi, neck/head). A compound describing the act of severing the head, used in legal and historical contexts from the medieval period onwards.

Cultural Context

Era: Medieval–Edo

Generation: Adults

Social background: General