殺(ころ)し屋(や)

ころしや
noun
hitman; assassin; hired killer
informallawperson
1. hitman; assassin; hired killer; contract killer
A person who kills others for money or as a profession. Commonly encountered in crime fiction, movies, manga, and news about organized crime.
殺(ころ)し屋(や)を雇(やと)う。
To hire a hitman.
その映画(えいが)は伝説(でんせつ)の殺(ころ)し屋(や)の物語(ものがたり)だ。
That movie is the story of a legendary assassin.
組織(そしき)に裏切(うらぎ)られた殺(ころ)し屋(や)が復讐(ふくしゅう)に乗(の)り出(だ)すという筋書(すじが)きだ。
It's a plot about a hitman betrayed by the organization who sets out for revenge.

Compound of 殺(ころ)し (killing, from the verb 殺(ころ)す) + 屋(や) (person who does something as a profession, often with a negative connotation). The 屋(や) suffix here implies someone who does this as their trade.

Common collocations

Usage

Most commonly encountered in fiction (movies, novels, manga, anime) and occasionally in news about organized crime. Not a word used in polite or everyday conversation.

Similar words

  • 暗殺者(あんさつしゃ): assassin — more formal; used for political assassination
  • 刺客(しかく): assassin — literary/historical; used in samurai or political contexts

Related Words

Compare: 暗殺者(あんさつしゃ) (assassin)
general
Added 2026.4.3 5:25 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
21500/21665_koroshiya