犯 means “offense, commit”

はん · han

Also: crime, sin

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おかす

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ハン, ボン

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 5 strokes

The story

A wild beast (犭) springing on a crouching person, a curled form of 卩: an attack that crosses the line. A 犯人 is the culprit every detective drama hunts, and stickers reading 防犯カメラ作動中 warn that security cameras are rolling.

Used in 犯人 (hannin, culprit), 防犯 (bouhan, crime prevention), and 犯す (okasu, to commit a crime)

More from Law & Order

• 逃 escape
• 盗 steal
• 制 control
• 治 heal
• 権 right
• 規 rule
• 害 harm
• 警 warn
• 守 protect
• 処 deal with
• 殺 kill
• 責 responsibility

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