How to say "mob" in Japanese

• 暴徒ぼうとCommon
  nounCovers 'mob' in the violent sense: a disorderly crowd that riots, destroys property, or turns on authority. It carries a strongly negative nuance and does not fit a merely large group of people.
  暴徒ぼうとは広場ひろばから強制的きょうせいてきに排除はいじょされた。↗

  The rioters were forcibly removed from the plaza.
• 群衆ぐんしゅうCommon
  nounA neutral word for a crowd or throng of people. It matches 'mob' only in the older, non-violent sense of a mass of ordinary people; for rioters it is not the word you want.
  群衆ぐんしゅうが現場げんばに群むらがった。↗

  A crowd gathered at the scene.

Use 暴徒 for a violent, lawless mob engaged in rioting; use 群衆 for an ordinary crowd of people, which matches 'mob' only in its neutral sense of a mass of people.

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

• 暴徒ぼうとrioters
• 群衆ぐんしゅうgroup (of people)
• モブmob
• 暴民ぼうみんmob
• 有象無象うぞうむぞうmob
• 烏合の衆うごうのしゅうdisorderly crowd
• モブキャラbackground character (in a manga, anime, etc.)
• 雑魚キャラざこキャラmob (non-player character)