自白(じはく)

じはく
noun, suru-verb
confession
1. confession, admission of guilt
A confession or admission, especially by a criminal suspect or defendant. Commonly used in legal and police contexts to refer to confessing to a crime.
容疑者(ようぎしゃ)が自白(じはく)した。
The suspect confessed.
長時間(ちょうじかん)の取(と)り調(しら)べの末(すえ)、自白(じはく)を得(え)た。
After a long interrogation, they obtained a confession.
弁護士(べんごし)は自白(じはく)の信頼性(しんらいせい)に疑問(ぎもん)を呈(てい)した。
The lawyer raised questions about the reliability of the confession.

USAGE:
Primarily a legal and police term. In Japanese criminal proceedings, 自白(じはく) carries significant weight, and coerced confessions (強要(きょうよう)された自白(じはく)) have been a recurring issue in Japanese law.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 自白(じはく)する: to confess
  • 自白(じはく)を強要(きょうよう)する: to coerce a confession
  • 自白(じはく)を得(え)る: to obtain a confession
  • 自白(じはく)を撤回(てっかい)する: to retract a confession
  • 虚偽(きょぎ)の自白(じはく): false confession

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 告白(こくはく): confession of feelings, especially romantic; also used for confessing sins in a religious context
  • 白状(はくじょう): confession, typically less formal than 自白(じはく)

Related Words

See also: 告白(こくはく) (confession (of feelings))
general
Added 2026.2.27 17:27
13500/13969_jihaku