The kanji 賊 primarily means "thief," "robber," "bandit," or "traitor." It denotes someone who steals, attacks, or acts against authority, often in a violent or clandestine manner. The character encapsulates the idea of someone who is harmful or disruptive to society.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゾク (zoku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ぞく (zoku)

⚫︎ 海賊 (kaizoku) Translation: Pirate ⚫︎ 賊軍 (zokugun) Translation: Rebel army; enemy forces ⚫︎ 強盗 (goutou) Translation: Robber; bandit

The kanji 賊 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is the radical 戈 (ka) which means "spear" or "weapon," indicating violence or conflict. The right side is 則 (soku), which conveys the sound and originally meant "rule" or "standard." The combination suggests someone who violates the rules or uses violence, hence "thief" or "robber."