How to say "fugitive" in Japanese

• 逃亡者とうぼうしゃ
  nounThe broadest of these: a person who has fled or gone into hiding, especially from the law. It matches 'fugitive' in its ordinary sense and also covers 'runaway'.
  警察けいさつは、逃亡者とうぼうしゃを追跡ついせきしている。↗

  The police are in pursuit of the runaway.
• 脱獄犯だつごくはん
  nounNarrowly, a person who has broken out of prison — the 'escaped prisoner' sense. It is not a general word for a fugitive, so avoid it when no prison escape is involved.
• 脱走者だっそうしゃ
  nounAn escapee: someone who has got away from confinement. It centers on the act of escaping, so it suits the 'escapee' side of 'fugitive' rather than flight in general.
• 逃亡中とうぼうちゅう
  no-adjectiveNot a word for the person but for the state of being at large; use it to say that someone is currently a fugitive rather than to name them as one.
• 追われる身おわれるみ
  expression, nounFrames the fugitive as a person being chased — wanted and on the run. It fits when the point is the pursuit itself, the fact that someone is after them.

All five are less common choices: use 逃亡者 for a fugitive in general, 脱獄犯 or 脱走者 for someone who has escaped custody, 逃亡中 for the state of being at large, and 「追われる身」 for a person being pursued.

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

• 逃亡者とうぼうしゃrunaway
• 脱獄犯だつごくはんescaped prisoner
• 脱走者だっそうしゃescapee
• 逃亡中とうぼうちゅうat large
• 追われる身おわれるみwanted person