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In the following dialogue, and in general, is 奪う a synonym of 殺す? Maybe a more
'poetical' one?

> Character A: 誠士郎【せいしろう】を殺したのは鈴爾【れいじ】と雪也【ゆきなり】さんだ。
>
> Character B: なに？誠士郎【せいしろう】を奪ったのが鈴爾【れいじ】と兄さん…！？

Thank you for your help!
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2017-02-04T19:17:19.287
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2017-02-05T02:36:29.480
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question
meaning words nuances synonyms
Can 奪う be a synonym of 殺す?
No, 殺す and 奪う are not synonymous. But either can be used analogously to mean
other things beyond their dictionary definitions. The boundaries of analogy
are fuzzy.
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2017-02-04T22:42:32.263
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No, but sometimes, it can be replaced.  
Generally, `奪う` means `to steal`, but in this case, it means **_to steal
life_**.  
~~実際to steal lifeって伝わるかわかってないんですけど~~  
So the translation becomes:

> Character A: A person who killed Seishirou is Reiji and Yukinari.  
>  Character B: What? A person who stole his life is Reiji and my brother!?

By the way, why A said only 鈴爾雪也, though B said 鈴爾 and 兄さん?
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2017-02-04T23:55:45.273
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1. Yes, in the dialogue, this 奪う is a synonym of 殺す, although the focus is on "we lost him" rather than plain "he is dead".
  2. In general, 奪う means "to take [sth] away" or "to steal". 命を奪う _to take life away_ always means _to kill_. I'd say this usage is "[人]を奪う" _to take [somebody] (away)_ , which can mean different things depending on the context: 
    * 王女を奪う would mean to _kidnap_ her. (or when she's already kidnapped, to rescue her from the rogue)
    * 恋人を奪う would usually mean to steal his/her love.
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2017-02-05T02:53:50.647
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2017-02-05T02:53:50.647
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"奪う" of "命を奪う" can replace "殺す," but not always so.

Then I believe the appropriate answer to the question should be "奪う is not the
synonym of 殺す."

> OK:ゴキブリを殺す  
>  NG:ゴキブリを奪う（This just means "Taking away cockroach." It's maybe still
> alive.")
>
> OK: "自動車事故が、私の息子を奪った" "The car accident took away my son forever.= He died
> by the car accident."  
>  almost NG: "自動車事故が、私の息子を殺した" (If it is used as mandarin or literally, it's
> OK. However if you'd like to make mandarin sentence for this kind of
> situation, you should say "自動車事故が私の息子を奪った.")

The following example of "奪う（奪った）" doesn't mean "殺す（殺した）".

> "親友のXが、私の彼を奪った" = "My best friend X stole my boy friend. (She (He) never
> killed him!)"
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2017-02-05T05:43:58.500
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