罪
つみ · tsumi · JLPT N3 · noun
crime
⛓️ 罪 = 罒 net + 非 wrong: the net that catches wrongdoing. Tsumi, sue me!
The top 罒 is the net radical, and 非 below means wrong or not. Together they read as a net for catching wrongdoers. As a sound hook, tsumi sounds like sue me, which is what you say once you are caught. Example: 罪を犯す (tsumi o okasu) means to commit a crime.
罪 — net 罒 (top) + wrong 非 (bottom)
罪 combines 罒 (net) over 非 (wrong), suggesting catching wrongdoing in a net. Originally the character 辠 (with 自 nose + 辛 punishment) meant 'crime,' but Emperor Qin Shi Huang found 辠 too similar to 皇 (emperor) and replaced it with 罪. Today it means crime, guilt, or sin.