How to say "arson" in Japanese

• 放火ほうかCommon
  suru verb, intransitive verb, no-adjectiveThe common word for arson as an act or crime: deliberately setting fire to something. This is the word you want in most cases, such as news reports of deliberately set fires.
  誰だれかがその家いえに放火ほうかした。↗

  Someone set fire to the house.
• 火付けひつけ
  noun, suru verbA less common word for the same act, corresponding to 'incendiarism'. Since 放火 already covers deliberate fire-setting, this is seldom the word you need when translating 'arson'.
• 放火犯ほうかはん
  nounRefers to the person who commits arson — an arsonist — rather than the act itself. Use it when English 'arson' actually means the culprit, as in a report that police have arrested the arsonist.

Use 放火 for the act or crime of arson itself; choose 放火犯 when English 'arson' really means the perpetrator; 「火付け」 is a less common synonym of 放火 that you will seldom need.

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

• 放火ほうかarson
• 火付けひつけarson
• 放火犯ほうかはんarson
• 放火罪ほうかざい(the crime of) arson