自首(じしゅ)

じしゅ
noun
turning oneself in (to the police); surrendering to the authorities
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present自首(じしゅ)する自首(じしゅ)しない
Present polite自首(じしゅ)します自首(じしゅ)しません
Past自首(じしゅ)した自首(じしゅ)しなかった
Past polite自首(じしゅ)しました自首(じしゅ)しませんでした
て form自首(じしゅ)して自首(じしゅ)しなくて
ている present自首(じしゅ)している自首(じしゅ)していない
ている polite自首(じしゅ)しています自首(じしゅ)していません
ている past自首(じしゅ)していた自首(じしゅ)していなかった
ている past polite自首(じしゅ)していました自首(じしゅ)していませんでした
Conditional ば自首(じしゅ)すれば自首(じしゅ)しなければ
Conditional たら自首(じしゅ)したら自首(じしゅ)しなかったら
Volitional自首(じしゅ)しよう—
Volitional polite自首(じしゅ)しましょう—
Potential自首(じしゅ)できる自首(じしゅ)できない
Passive自首(じしゅ)される自首(じしゅ)されない
Causative自首(じしゅ)させる自首(じしゅ)させない
Imperative自首(じしゅ)しろ自首(じしゅ)するな
1. turning oneself in (to the police); surrendering to the authorities
The act of voluntarily reporting to the police and confessing to a crime before the investigators have identified the perpetrator. Under Japanese law, 自首(じしゅ) can lead to a reduced sentence. Often used as a verb with する.
警察(けいさつ)に自首(じしゅ)する。
To turn oneself in to the police.
彼(かれ)は罪(つみ)の意識(いしき)に耐(た)えられず、自首(じしゅ)を決意(けつい)した。
Unable to bear his sense of guilt, he decided to turn himself in.
事件(じけん)から三日後(みっかご)、容疑者(ようぎしゃ)は弁護士(べんごし)に付(つ)き添(そ)われて警察署(けいさつしょ)に自首(じしゅ)した。
Three days after the incident, the suspect, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself in at the police station.

Composed of 自(じ) (self) and 首(しゅ) (head, here "offering" or "presenting"). 自首(じしゅ) is a legal term with a specific technical meaning: voluntarily confessing to the police before being identified as a suspect. If the suspect has already been identified, the same act is legally called 出頭(しゅっとう) (turning oneself in / appearing before authorities) rather than 自首(じしゅ), although in everyday speech the two are often blurred.

This word is a homophone of 自主(じしゅ) (voluntary, independent), and the two should not be confused. 自主(じしゅ) is usually followed by 的(てき) or other morphemes (e.g., 自主的(じしゅてき), 自主性(じしゅせい)), while 自首(じしゅ) typically appears on its own or with する.

LEGAL NOTE:
Under Article 42 of the Japanese Penal Code, a true 自首(じしゅ) can be grounds for reducing a sentence. This makes the term frequently encountered in crime reporting and legal dramas.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 自首(じしゅ)する: to turn oneself in
  • 警察(けいさつ)に自首(じしゅ)する: to turn oneself in to the police
  • 自首(じしゅ)を決意(けつい)する: to decide to turn oneself in
  • 自首(じしゅ)を促(うなが)す: to urge someone to turn themselves in

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 出頭(しゅっとう): appearing before authorities — after one's identity is already known
  • 投降(とうこう): surrender (especially military or when cornered)
  • 降伏(こうふく): surrender (military, general)
  • 告白(こくはく): confession — used for personal/emotional confessions, not legal ones
general
Added 2026.4.11 23:19
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