殺害

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 殺害, read as さつがい. It is a formal and serious noun for the intentional killing of a person and also combines with する as a verb.
• Basic usage: A mayor being murdered appears in 町長が殺害される, while referring to a motive for the killing appears in 殺害の動機.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Difference from 殺す
  • Compared with the direct verb, it is common when treating the act as an event in formal, news, or investigative contexts.