noun
Dated term for a person who steals; in modern Japanese 泥棒 (どろぼう) is more common. Still understood and appears in proverbs and older texts.
盗人にも三分の理。
Even a thief has his reasons. (proverb)
昔話にはよく盗人が出てくる。
Thieves often appear in old tales.
The standard modern word for 'thief' or 'burglar'; 盗人 is dated and less common in everyday speech.
Compound of 盗 (ぬす, 'steal') + 人 (びと, 'person'). The reading びと is a voiced form of ひと due to rendaku.