kill

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 殺 has 10 strokes and appears in words for killing or canceling an effect.
• Basic usage: 殺す is read ころす, and 相殺 is read そうさい.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Meaning depends on the word
  • In 劇中の騎士は敵を殺す命令を拒んだ, the knight in the play refused an order to kill the enemy.
  • 利点と欠点が相殺されて means advantages and disadvantages canceling each other out.
• The reading for offsetting
  • In 相殺, 殺 is read さい.