(たいりょうさつじん)

たいりょうさつじん
noun
mass murder; mass killing
1. mass murder; mass killing
The killing of a large number of people, typically in a single incident or by a single perpetrator or group. Used in news reporting, criminal-law discussions, and historical descriptions of atrocities and terror attacks.
大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)事件(じけん)
A mass murder case.
犯人(はんにん)大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)(つみ)起訴(きそ)された。
The perpetrator was indicted for mass murder.
戦争(せんそう)(ちゅう)(おこな)われた大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)真相(しんそう)(あき)らかにする。
Uncover the truth about the mass killings committed during the war.
この博物館(はくぶつかん)は、二十世紀(にじっせいき)世界(せかい)各地(かくち)()こった大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)歴史(れきし)(つた)えている。
This museum conveys the history of mass killings that took place around the world in the twentieth century.

Composed of 大量(たいりょう) (large quantity, mass) and 殺人(さつじん) (murder, homicide). A compound that combines a quantifier prefix with a crime term — the same pattern appears in 大量(たいりょう)逮捕(たいほ) (mass arrests) or 大量(たいりょう)生産(せいさん) (mass production).

USAGE:
A grave word used in news, legal contexts, academic writing, and historical discussion. Not a casual expression. Refers to incidents with many victims — a single murder is not 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん), no matter how brutal.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)事件(じけん): mass murder case
  • 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)(はん): mass murderer
  • 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)(つみ): the crime of mass murder
  • 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)(おか)す: to commit mass murder

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 虐殺(ぎゃくさつ): massacre, genocide — implies brutality and often applies to wartime atrocities and ethnic killings; strongly emotional
  • 無差別殺人(むさべつさつじん): indiscriminate killing — emphasizes that victims are unrelated and chosen at random
  • 大量虐殺(たいりょうぎゃくさつ): mass slaughter, genocide — stronger and more emotive than 大量殺人(たいりょうさつじん)
  • 連続殺人(れんぞくさつじん): serial murder — killings committed in succession over a period, distinct from a single mass incident