Translation guide
Expressing the act of cutting off a head, ranging from literal execution to figurative removal of leadership.
To cut off someone's head, typically as a form of execution or in a violent act.
To remove the leader or top person of an organization, often abruptly.
Idiom meaning 'to replace the leadership', literally 'to change the head'. Implies a swift removal of the top person.
会社は業績不振で社長の首をすげ替えた。
The company decapitated its management by replacing the president due to poor performance.
To have one's head severed in an accident or violent attack, not necessarily execution.
Intransitive phrase meaning 'the head flies off', used for accidental decapitation or violent beheading. Emphasizes the result.
事故で運転手の首が飛んだ。
The driver was decapitated in the accident.
While 首を切る can be used figuratively (e.g., firing someone), it is not the best choice for 'decapitate' in a leadership context. Use 首をすげ替える or トップを切る for removing leaders.
彼は会社を首になった。
He was fired from the company. (Not 'decapitated')
The most common and versatile phrase for 'to decapitate' or 'to behead'. Literally 'to cut the neck'. Can be used in historical, violent, or figurative contexts.
侍が罪人の首を切った。
The samurai decapitated the criminal.
ギロチンで首を切られる。
To be decapitated by the guillotine.
Formal or historical term for 'decapitation' or 'beheading', often used in legal or execution contexts. Literally 'cut neck'.
王は反逆者を斬首するよう命じた。
The king ordered the rebel to be decapitated.
Historical term for 'to behead' as a form of execution, specifically by sword. Often used in period dramas.
江戸時代には、罪人は打ち首にされた。
In the Edo period, criminals were beheaded.
Colloquial phrase meaning 'to cut off the top', used figuratively to remove a leader. More direct and less idiomatic than 首をすげ替える.
クーデターで政府のトップを切った。
They decapitated the government by removing its leader in a coup.
Transitive phrase meaning 'to chop off the head', often with a sword or sharp object. More graphic than 首を切る.
刀で敵の首をはねた。
He decapitated the enemy with a sword.