How to say "thief" in Japanese

• 泥棒どろぼうJLPT N4approx.Common
  nounThe everyday word for a thief: someone who steals, whether by slipping into a house or picking a pocket. When you just mean 'thief', this is the natural default.
  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
  nounCovers thief, robber and burglar, but its distinctive sense is 'bandit' — an armed outlaw plundering on roads or in the mountains, the stuff of tales and history rather than a petty shoplifter.
  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
  nounThough it can mean a thief or robber, 賊 chiefly appears inside other words rather than standing alone, so it is seldom the term you reach for to call someone a thief.
  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.
• 盗人ぬすびとCommon
  nounA dated word for a thief or robber; you will mostly come across it in older writing rather than everyday speech. For an ordinary thief, 泥棒 is the natural choice.
• 泥どろJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounA shortened form of 泥棒. On its own it is a marginal way to say 'thief' — the same word normally reads as 'mud' — so it is seldom the word you want.

For an ordinary thief, 泥棒 is the natural default; 盗賊 adds the image of a bandit; 賊 and 泥 are marginal on their own; 盗人 is a dated word you will meet mainly in older writing.

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
• 盗人ぬすびとthief
• 盗人ぬすっとthief
• シーフthief (particularly in RPG games)
• 物取りものとりthief
• 曲者くせものruffian
• 泥どろthief
• 白波しらなみthief
• かっぱらいpilferer
• 荒らしあらしrobber