Korosu (殺す): what it means in anime

殺す

ころす · korosu · to kill; to slay; to murder JLPT N3

Korosu means "to kill". You will hear it far more in anime than in daily Japanese, in threats (殺すぞ), orders (殺せ) and promises (殺してやる).

Where you hear it 14 of 42 series

Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.

Assassination Classroom · 30 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1

至近距離からこいつを殺すチャンスを得るAnd second, it gives some thirty people the opportunity to kill him from extremely close range.
Chainsaw Man · 27 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1

悪魔として私に殺されるかYou can be a devil that I kill.
Demon Slayer · 15 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

妹を殺すお前は腹を切って死ぬFirst, you kill your sister!
One-Punch Man · 10 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3

殺し合いますか…Well then, let's start the killing.
Code Geass · 8 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3

そう… 母さんが殺されたからだBecause my mother was killed.
Soul Eater · 8 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

暗殺道その１闇に紛れ息を殺しblend in with the darkness, hold your breath,
Spy x Family · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

誘っても殺されないI can make my proposal, and not get killed!
Tokyo Ghoul · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1

人を殺して… 肉を！Murder a human... and devour their flesh!

Also in: Dr. Stone, Soul Eater, Spy x Family, Tokyo Ghoul, Psycho-Pass, Cowboy Bebop.

Usage and nuance

The forms matter. 殺す is plain, 殺せ is the command, 殺すぞ is a threat ("I'll kill you"), 殺される is "to be killed" and 殺してやる is "I'm going to kill you" with the やる that adds spite.

Villains and anti-heroes say it coldly; frightened characters whisper 殺される. Assassination Classroom plays with the word in every episode, since the students' job is literally to kill their teacher.

Related words: 死ぬ (shinu, to die) is what happens to the victim, and 殺し (koroshi) is the noun "killing, murder" that detectives in Psycho-Pass and Death Note deal with.

Hear 殺す in Assassination Classroom30 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account