斬 emphasizes a strong, forceful cutting action.
It is strongly associated with martial or judicial authority.
In modern figurative language, it can imply decisive elimination of problems.

Related characters:


to cut, to sever, to slice, to stop, to break off

 — to cut (general cutting)
断 — to sever; to decide


to cut, divide, separate, apportion

cart, vehicle, wagon, wheele

 — axe
The combination suggests cutting something with an axe, possibly in connection with dismantling a chariot or cutting wood for wheels.
The character visually expresses cutting by means of a blade, emphasizing decisive severance.

Semantic development:
- to cut with an axe;
- to behead;
- to sever or terminate;
- figuratively: decisive action.
The character often conveys firmness or finality.

In Korean, 斬 appears mostly in historical, legal, or literary contexts.

참수 (斬首) — beheading
참형 (斬刑) — capital punishment by decapitation
참단 (斬斷) — cutting off; severing

Characters

Words

Vocabulary

Rare and archaic Chinese character

thunderous sound, repeated crashing of thunder

adult male, fourth Heavenly Stem, nail

elder, man of respect, husband, head of a family

three, number 3, third

up, top, first, best

below, under, to descend, to go down

not, no, non-

world, generation, lifetime

unit, individual, single

center, middle, inside

to grasp, to hold, to seize

to string together, to pierce through, a skewer, a series or chain of things

a small round object, pellet, ball, pill

red, cinnabar-red

king, lord, master, sovereign

thus, then, only, surprisingly

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Chinese character

Explore 214 Chinese radicals and their derived characters. Sort by radical or stroke count, and view the complete list of official Hanja radicals.

Chinese characters (Hanja)

Chinese characters dictionary

斬

Etymology

Usage in Korean

Additional notes

Neighboring characters in the dictionary