拷
KANJI DETAIL
torture
On readingごう9 strokesN2
Radical 手 · handStroke order
Loading the stroke order for 拷.
Japanese readings
- On reading
- ごう
- Kun reading
- None
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: 拷 has 9 strokes and the on-reading ごう. 拷問 (ごうもん) means torture.
- Basic usage: 拷問 names the act of torture and can be what someone endures or the subject of materials about the past.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- What is endured and the stance of historical materials
- 捕虜が拷問に耐える means that a prisoner endures torture. It describes a scene in a novel, with に marking what is endured.
- 過去の拷問を批判的に伝えている means presenting past torture from a critical perspective. It includes the museum materials' evaluative stance rather than merely listing facts.

