The kanji 虐（ぎゃく） primarily conveys the meaning of cruelty, abuse, or oppression. It implies inflicting harm or suffering on someone or something, often in a deliberate and malicious manner. It can also refer to actions that violate someone's rights or dignity.

・On-yomi (音読み): ギャク (gyaku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): しいた.げる (shiita.geru) - to oppress, to abuse

⚫︎虐待（ぎゃくたい） Translation: Abuse; maltreatment ⚫︎虐殺（ぎゃくさつ） Translation: Massacre; slaughter ⚫︎虐げられる（しいたげられる） Translation: To be oppressed; to be abused

The kanji 虐（ぎゃく） is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. It combines two elements: ⚫︎The semantic component is 虍 (tora no kawa), meaning "tiger's skin." Originally, this part of the kanji was visually similar to a tiger's skin. ⚫︎The phonetic component is 虎 (tora), which means "tiger." The combination suggests the fierce and cruel nature associated with a tiger. It evolved to represent the idea of inflicting harm or cruelty.