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Words Kanji Guides About

犯人 (はんにん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

犯はん人にん

は

ん

に

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

offender; criminal; culprit

Refers to a person who has committed a crime or wrongdoing; used in legal, news, and everyday contexts.

警けい察さつはまだ犯はん人にんを捕つかまえていない。
The police haven't caught the culprit yet.
犯はん人にんは

現げん

場ば

に

指し

紋もん

を

残のこ

し

て

い

た

。

The offender left fingerprints at the scene.

Kanji

犯crime, sin, offense
人person

Similar words

容よう疑ぎ者しゃ
容疑者 means 'suspect' (someone suspected but not yet proven guilty), while 犯人 refers to the actual perpetrator.
犯はん罪ざい者しゃ
犯罪者 is a broader term for 'criminal' (someone who commits crimes in general), whereas 犯人 is more specific to a particular crime or incident.

Etymology

Compound of 犯 (offense, crime) and 人 (person). The reading is on'yomi. The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word has been used in legal and common contexts for centuries.