Refers to a bullet that misses its intended target and hits something else. Used in literal firearm contexts and metaphorically for unintended consequences.
I was hit by a stray bullet in the shootout.
彼の批判はそれ弾のように私にも向けられた。
His criticism was directed at me like a stray bullet.
Standard kanji spelling using 弾 (bullet).
Variant using 玉 (ball/bullet); less common but still used.
Spelling with 逸れ (stray) explicitly written; somewhat literary.
Rare spelling combining 逸れ and 玉.
Compound of それ (stray, from verb 逸れる) and 弾 (bullet). The kanji 逸れ explicitly means 'stray' or 'deviate'.