忍び
Meanings
stealth; sneaking
General noun for moving or acting secretly, often in the context of ninja or covert operations.
He infiltrated the enemy castle using stealth techniques.
Abbreviation of 忍び歩き; refers to traveling without revealing one's identity, often in historical or literary contexts.
See also: 忍び歩き
He traveled incognito through the provinces.
ninjutsu
Abbreviation of 忍びの術; refers specifically to the art of stealth and espionage practiced by ninja.
See also: 忍びの術
Mastering ninjutsu requires years of training.
Abbreviation of 忍びの者; a person trained in ninjutsu, often used in historical or fictional contexts.
See also: 忍びの者
The ninja vanished into the darkness.
sneak theft; sneak thief
Refers to a thief who operates stealthily, or the act of stealing by stealth; somewhat dated usage.
A sneak thief broke in and stole the money.
Used only in the negative phrase 忍びない, meaning 'cannot bear to do something' or 'cannot bring oneself to do something'.
See also: 忍びない
I cannot bear to see his suffering.
Usage patterns
- 忍びで〈場所〉に行くto go somewhere incognito
The shogun went out into town incognito.
- 忍びを働くto commit a sneak theft
The thief who committed a sneak theft in the middle of the night was caught.