罰 means “punishment”

ばつ · batsu

Also: penalty

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ばっする

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

バツ, バチ, ハツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 14 strokes

The story

A net (罒) over words (言) and a blade (刂): caught, scolded and cut down to size. 罰金 is a fine, a 罰ゲーム is the silly forfeit for the loser on a variety show, and read ばち, 罰が当たる is the gods paying you back.

Used in 罰金 (bakkin, fine), 罰ゲーム (batsu geemu, forfeit game), and 処罰 (shobatsu, punishment)

More from Prisons & Penalties

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

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