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咎人 (とがにん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

咎とが人にん

と

が

に

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

offender; criminal

dated term

Dated term for a person who has committed an offense or crime; now mostly replaced by 犯罪者 or 犯人 in modern usage.

昔むかしの文ぶん献けんでは、咎とが人にんを捕とらえる話はなしがよく出でてくる。
In old documents, stories about capturing offenders often appear.

Written forms

咎とが人にんUsage31%
Standard kanji spelling for this dated term.
科人とがにんUsage69%
Alternate kanji form; less common than 咎人.

Kanji

咎blame, censure, reprimand
人

person

科department, course, section

Similar words

犯はん罪ざい者しゃ
Modern, neutral term for a criminal; 咎人 is dated and carries a more literary or historical feel.
犯はん人にん
Common word for a culprit or perpetrator; 咎人 is an older, less specific term for an offender.

Etymology

Compound of 咎 (とが, 'offense, blame') and 人 (にん, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a person who bears blame.