The kanji 罪 primarily conveys the meaning of "crime," "sin," "guilt," or "fault." It encompasses actions that violate moral principles, laws, or social norms, leading to responsibility for wrongdoing and its consequences. It signifies the state of being culpable or deserving of punishment.

・On-yomi (音読み): ザイ (zai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): つみ (tsumi)

⚫︎ 犯罪 (hanzai) Translation: Crime; Criminal offense ⚫︎ 罪を犯す (tsumi o okasu) Translation: To commit a crime; to sin ⚫︎ 有罪 (yuuzai) Translation: Guilty

The kanji 罪 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means it combines a semantic component (a part that gives meaning) with a phonetic component (a part that gives the sound). The top part is 网 (ami, net), and the bottom part is 非 (hi, non/not). The 网 originally represented a net or a trap, suggesting something that catches or captures. 非 suggests "not" or "wrong". Thus, the kanji 罪 originally meant something caught by a net as being not right and therefore being a crime. Over time, it developed to mean the crime itself.