監 獄(かんごく)

かんごく

noun

prison; jail; penitentiary

formallaw

1. prison; jail; penitentiary

A facility where convicted criminals are confined as punishment. A somewhat formal or literary word for prison.

監獄(かんごく)に入(い)れられた。

He was thrown into prison.

その犯人(はんにん)は十年間(じゅうねんかん)監獄(かんごく)で過(す)ごした。

The criminal spent ten years in prison.

古(ふる)い監獄(かんごく)が歴史(れきし)博物館(はくぶつかん)として公開(こうかい)されている。

The old prison is open to the public as a history museum.

監獄(かんごく) is a somewhat formal or literary term for prison. In everyday speech, 刑務所(けいむしょ) is far more common.

Common collocations

監獄(かんごく)に入(い)れる: to put in prison
監獄(かんごく)から出(で)る: to be released from prison
監獄(かんごく)生活(せいかつ): prison life
監獄(かんごく)に収容(しゅうよう)する: to confine in prison

Similar words

刑務所(けいむしょ): prison (standard everyday term)
牢屋(ろうや): jail, dungeon (old-fashioned, dramatic)
拘置所(こうちしょ): detention center (pre-trial)

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Often appears in historical contexts, fiction, and news about prison conditions. Has a heavier, more dramatic tone than 刑務所(けいむしょ). The Japan 監獄法(かんごくほう) (Prison Act) was renamed in 2006.

Related Words

Synonym: 刑務所(けいむしょ) (prison (standard term))

Related: 脱獄(だつごく) (prison break)

Related: 投獄(とうごく) (imprisonment)

Compare: 牢屋(ろうや) (jail, dungeon)

Compare: 拘置所(こうちしょ) (detention center)

Compare: 牢獄(ろうごく) (prison)

general

Added 2026.3.8 17:48 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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