懲 means “punish, learn one's lesson”

こりる · koriru

Also: penal, chastise, discipline

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

こりる, こらす, こらしめる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

チョウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 18 strokes

The story

A heart (心) under 徴, a summons: picture being called to account and feeling it in your chest. 懲りる is learning your lesson the hard way, 懲戒 is discipline at work, and 懲役, prison with compulsory work, merged with 禁錮 into 拘禁刑 for crimes from June 2025.

Used in 懲りる (koriru, to learn one's lesson), 懲戒 (choukai, disciplinary action), and 懲役 (choueki, penal servitude)

More from Prisons & Penalties

• 拘 detain
• 獄 prison
• 偵 spy
• 拷 torture
• 囚 prisoner
• 錮 confinement
• 勾 bend
• 逮 arrest
• 刑 penalty
• 罰 punishment

Learn 懲 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.