mysterious person; strange figure
Refers to a person whose identity, background, or nature is unknown and often suspicious or eerie. Common in fiction, news, and urban legends.
昨夜、公園で怪人が目撃された。
A mysterious person was spotted in the park last night.
There's a rumor that a mysterious figure appeared in the forest.
その怪人はマスクをかぶり、誰も正体を知らなかった。
The strange figure wore a mask, and no one knew their true identity.
The true identity of the mysterious figure is still unknown.
The man sent a message calling himself a mysterious figure.
The hero fights a mysterious villain every episode.
怪物 refers to a monster or non-human creature, whereas 怪人 keeps a human form despite its strangeness.
奇人 describes an eccentric or odd person without the sinister or supernatural overtone that 怪人 carries.
変人 is a casual word for a weird or quirky person in everyday life, while 怪人 implies something more mysterious or menacing.
常人 means an ordinary, normal person, the opposite of the strange and enigmatic 怪人.
怪獣 refers to a giant monster or kaiju, while 怪人 is a mysterious human-like figure, though both appear together in tokusatsu fiction and get mixed up.
怪人 is counted with 人 like any person, e.g. 怪人一人.
mysterious person; suspicious character
Compound of 怪 (kai, 'mysterious, strange') and 人 (jin, 'person'). The kanji 怪 is associated with the supernatural or inexplicable, giving the word a nuance of eerie mystery.