残酷

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 残酷(ざんこく) is a noun and な-adjective describing an action or situation as cruel or brutal.
• Basic usage: It modifies an order in 残酷な命令 and names the quality itself in 場面の残酷さ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Quality and degree
  • 残酷な judges a target as cruel, while 残酷さ turns that quality or degree of cruelty into a noun.
• Softening a depiction
  • A scene's brutality and its direct depiction are separate, so reducing explicit detail can soften the impression.