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前科 (ぜんか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

前ぜん科か

ぜ

ん

か

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

previous conviction; criminal record

Refers to a past criminal offense or the resulting record. Commonly used in legal and everyday contexts.

彼かれには前ぜん科かがある。
He has a criminal record.
前ぜん科かがなければ、この仕し事ごとに応おう募ぼできます。
If you have no previous convictions, you can apply for this job.

Kanji

前in front, before
科department, course, section

Similar words

犯はん罪ざい歴れき
犯罪歴 is a more formal term for 'criminal history', often used in official documents, while 前科 is the common word for 'previous conviction'.

Etymology

Compound of 前 (previous) and 科 (offense, crime). The kanji 科 originally referred to a category of wrongdoing, later extended to mean a criminal charge or record.