Japanese word

犯人

Pronunciation

Romajihannin

Meaning

  • nounculprit

Example

犯人は誰ですか。han nin wa dare de su ka

Who is the culprit?

Illustration for 犯人 (culprit)

More examples

警察は昨夜、犯人を捕まえました。kei satsu wa saku ya han nin o tsuka ma e ma shi ta

The police caught the culprit last night.

Core concept

Points to the person held responsible for a wrongdoing or offense.

Common phrases

  • 犯人を捕まえるhan nin o tsuka ma e ru

    catch the culprit

  • 犯人を見つけるhan nin o mi tsu ke ru

    find the culprit

Similar words

容疑者yōgisha: A person suspected of committing a crime.
犯罪者hanzaisha: A person who has committed a crime.
実行犯jikkōhan: A person who directly carries out a crime.

Definition in Japanese

犯罪や悪事を行った人、またはその疑いを受けている人。han zai ya aku ji o okona tta hito ma ta wa so no utaga i o u ke te i ru hito

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 犯人 (hannin) joins 犯 (han, "to commit an offense") with 人 (nin, "person"), forming a word for the responsible person.

Usage tips

  • English culprit can also mean the cause of a problem, but 犯人 (hannin) usually refers to a person responsible for a crime or misdeed.

Word lists with this word