How to say "crime" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 罪つみna-adjective, no-adjectiveThe broadest of these words, covering crime, sin and wrongdoing alike. Use it when the point is guilt or blame rather than a specific offence, as in admitting one's guilt or paying for one's crimes.
- 犯罪はんざいnounThe ordinary word for crime as a legal concept — an act forbidden by law. It is the default choice for talking about crime rates, prevention, or crime in general, and covers offences of any kind.
- 罪悪ざいあくnounFrames crime as evil or vice rather than as a legal category. It suits moral condemnation — calling something a crime against humanity, or speaking of the wickedness of an act — more than neutral police or legal contexts.
- 犯行はんこうnounRefers to a criminal act as a concrete deed — the committing of a specific offence. It is the word for an act under investigation: the perpetrator of a crime, evidence left at the scene, or a confessed act.
- 悪事あくじnounMeans evil deeds or wrongdoing, with a moral rather than legal flavour. It is used for a course of wicked behaviour — committing evil deeds, or being made to pay for one's misdeeds — not for crime as a legal category.
For 'crime' in the sense of a legal offence, 犯罪 is the everyday word; 犯行 narrows this to a specific criminal act; for wrongdoing or guilt more broadly, 罪 is the general term, while 罪悪 and 悪事 lean toward moral evil and wicked deeds rather than lawbreaking.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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