1.
prison; penitentiary; correctional facility
A facility where convicted criminals serve their sentences. The formal term used in legal and official contexts.
刑務所 is the standard formal term for a prison or penitentiary where convicted criminals serve their sentences.
Common collocations
- 刑務所に入る: to go to prison
- 刑務所から出る: to get out of prison
- 刑務所に収容される: to be incarcerated
- 刑務所暮らし: prison life
Related facilities
- 拘置所: detention center (for those awaiting trial)
- 留置場: police holding cell (short-term)
- 少年院: juvenile detention facility
Usage
In casual speech, 刑務所 may be shortened to ムショ. The slang expression ムショ帰り means someone who has done time in prison.
Related Words
Compare:
牢 (prison (literary/historical))
Synonym:
監獄 (prison (formal/literary))
Related:
拘置所 (detention center)
Related:
留置場 (police holding cell)
Compare:
収容所 (detention center)
Compare:
牢獄 (prison)