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盗賊 (とうぞく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

盗とう賊ぞく

と

う

ぞ

く

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

thief; robber; burglar; bandit

General term for a person who steals, especially one who operates as part of a group or in a dramatic, old-fashioned, or storybook context. Can refer to historical bandits, highwaymen, or fantasy thieves.

その

村むら

は

盗とう

賊ぞく

に

襲おそ

わ

れ

た

。

The village was attacked by bandits.

彼かれは盗とう賊ぞくのように素す早ばやく逃にげ去さった。

He fled as swiftly as a thief.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に盗とう賊ぞくが出でるbandits appear in a place
昔むかし、この山やまには盗とう賊ぞくが出でると言いわれていた。
Long ago, it was said that bandits appeared in this mountain.
盗とう賊ぞくに襲おそわれるto be attacked by bandits
旅たびの途と中ちゅうで盗とう賊ぞくに襲おそわれた。
We were attacked by bandits during our journey.
盗とう賊ぞくを退たい治じするto defeat/exterminate bandits
勇ゆう者しゃたちは村むらを苦くるしめていた盗とう賊ぞくを退たい治じした。
The heroes defeated the bandits that had been tormenting the village.
盗とう賊ぞくの一いち団だんa band/gang of bandits
森もりの中なかで盗とう賊ぞくの一いち団だんに出で会あった。
We encountered a band of bandits in the forest.

Kanji

盗steal, rob, pilfer
賊burglar, rebel, traitor

Related words· 6

泥どろ棒ぼうN4
泥棒 is the everyday word for a thief or burglar, while 盗賊 sounds dramatic or literary and often implies a gang or historical/fantasy setting.
強ごう盗とうN3
強盗 specifically denotes a robber who uses violence or threats and is the legal term for robbery, whereas 盗賊 is a broader, less technical word for bandits or thieves.
賊ぞく
賊 is a terse, classical term for a villain or bandit, while 盗賊 is the fuller, more common compound used to describe the same kind of person.
怪かい盗とう
怪盗 refers to a clever, mysterious thief often seen in fiction, while 盗賊 covers thieves and bandits more generally without implying cunning or disguise.

Show 2 more

山さん賊ぞく
盗賊 is a general term for thieves or robbers of any kind, while 山賊 specifically denotes bandits who operate in mountainous or remote areas.
海かい賊ぞく
盗賊 is a general term for bandits or robbers on land, while 海賊 specifically means pirates who attack ships at sea.

Don't confuse with

海かい賊ぞく
海賊 means a pirate who raids at sea, while 盗賊 refers to a bandit or thief on land; the two share the kanji 賊 but describe different kinds of criminals.

Counted with

人にん
counter for people

Word family

トウゾクカモメ
skua; jaeger (family Stercorariidae) · pomarine jaeger; pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus)

Written forms

盗とう賊ぞくUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; the word is almost always written this way.
トウゾクUsage1%

Etymology

Compound of 盗 (steal) and 賊 (bandit, rebel). The word has been used since classical times to refer to thieves and outlaws.