How to say "burglar" in Japanese

• 泥棒どろぼうJLPT N4approx.Common
  nounThe everyday word for someone who steals, and the usual choice when 'burglar' means a person who breaks into a house to steal; it is neutral in tone and fits ordinary conversation.
  そこの乞食こじきが泥棒どろぼうである事ことがわかった。↗

  The beggar turned out to be a thief.
• 盗賊とうぞくCommon
  nounIts core image is the bandit or robber — an outlaw who takes by force — so it suits tales of banditry more than an ordinary housebreak, for which 泥棒 is the natural word.
  ここでは盗賊とうぞくにご用心ようじん。↗

  Watch out for thieves around here.
• 賊ぞくCommon
  nounA stiff, literary word for a bandit or robber; on its own it seldom names an ordinary burglar, and in speech 泥棒 is what you would hear instead.
  賊ぞくが彼かれの家いえに押し入おしいった。↗

  Burglars broke into his house.
• 押し入りおしいりCommon
  nounNames the act of breaking in — forcing one's way into a house to steal — rather than the person who does it; for the person, 泥棒 is the usual word.
• 押し込みおしこみCommon
  nounLabels the crime itself — burglary, entering a home by force to steal — more than the offender; as a way to say 'burglar' for a person it is marginal, and 泥棒 serves instead.

For a burglar as a person, 泥棒 is the everyday word; 盗賊 and 賊 lean toward bandits and robbers, while 「押し入り」 and 「押し込み」 name the break-in or burglary itself rather than the person.

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

• 泥棒どろぼうthief
• 盗賊とうぞくthief
• 賊ぞくthief
• 押し入りおしいりbreaking into
• 空き巣狙いあきすねらいburglary (of an empty house)
• 押し込み強盗おしこみごうとうhousebreaker
• 居空きいあきburglary (while occupants are present)
• 押し込みおしこみburglary
• 空き巣あきすburglary (of an empty house)