How to say "accused" in Japanese

• 被告人ひこくにんCommon
  nounThe accused in a criminal case; the defendant standing trial. This is the usual word when 'accused' refers to a person charged in court, as in news reports and legal proceedings.
  被告人ひこくにんは容疑ようぎのうち２つについては無罪むざいとなった。↗

  The accused was acquitted on two of the charges.
• 刑事被告人けいじひこくにん
  nounAlso 'the accused' in a criminal trial, explicitly a criminal defendant. A less common, more explicitly legal variant; for most contexts 被告人 is the word you want.

Both words mean a person formally accused in a criminal trial; 被告人 is the everyday term, while 刑事被告人 specifies a criminal defendant and is less common.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 被告人ひこくにんaccused
• 刑事被告人けいじひこくにんaccused