重罪

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 重罪 (じゅうざい) is a noun for a serious crime or felony.
• Basic usage: It appears when an act is treated as a serious crime in a fictional trial or a protagonist faces a felony charge.
  • 小説の裁判ではその行為が重罪として扱われた。 — The act was treated as a serious crime in the novel's trial.
  • 重罪に問われた主人公が無実を訴える物語だ。 — The protagonist, charged with a felony, insists on innocence.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Treatment and charge
  • 重罪として扱われる means being treated as a serious crime, while 重罪に問われる means being called to account or charged for one.