人柱

ひとばしら

Meanings

1. Noun person who died for a cause
2. guinea pig (for a new product or service); test subject; sacrificial lamb; early adopter (also read じんちゅう)
3. hitobashira (i.e.: ritual human sacrifice by burying a living person under or near a large-scale construction project to invoke divine protection)

Kanji

• 人 person. Read as ひと.
• 柱 pillar. Read as はしら.

Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists