虐 means “cruelty, abuse”

ぎゃく · gyaku

Also: tyrannize, oppress

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

しいたげる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ギャク

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 9 strokes

The story

A tiger (虍) over a claw raised to strike: picture the strong mauling the weak. 虐 is cruelty: 虐待 is abuse, 虐殺 a massacre, and turned on yourself it is 自虐, the self-mocking humor Japanese comedians love.

Used in 虐待 (gyakutai, abuse), 虐殺 (gyakusatsu, massacre), and 自虐 (jigyaku, self-deprecation)

More from Thieves & Swindlers

• 拐 kidnap
• 詐 fraud
• 欺 deceive
• 殴 hit
• 窃 steal
• 賊 bandit
• 賂 bribe
• 拉 abduct
• 偽 fake
• 唆 suggest
• 賄 bribe
• 謀 plot

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

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