beheading, kill, murder
斬 centers on killing by cutting, especially with a blade: beheading, murder, or execution. The idea is a decisive, violent severing.
斬 combines 車 (vehicle, here likely representing a cart or wheel used in execution) and 斤 (axe), suggesting beheading or killing with an axe, possibly on a cart. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the component combination strongly points to execution by blade.
A cart (車) carries an axe (斤) to the execution ground. The axe falls, and the beheading is done.
For ザン, imagine the executioner named Zan swinging the axe: Zan -> ザン, and the blade comes down on the cart.
to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off); to cut (off)
novel; original; new; innovative
beheading; decapitation
decapitation
attacking a passerby with a sword (to test its sharpness or one's skill); samurai who tries out his sword on a passerby
killing with a sword (knife, dagger, etc.); slaying; putting to the sword
slashing (with the blade pressed against the object)
hacking to pieces
assassination; assassin
enzuigiri (attack that strikes the back of the head)
to assault with a sword; to stab at; to slash at
crossing swords; fighting with swords; cutting each other (in fighting)
killing a villain (with a sword, dagger, etc.)
letter explaining the reasons for cutting down an alleged villain; assassin's written vindication of his killing
slash; slashing attack
novel; unconventional; cutting-edge
innovativeness; originality; innovation
(execution by) decapitation
sword that cuts iron
decapitation