犯人|はんにんhannin[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounoffender; criminal; culprit
   その犯人はんにんはまだつかまっていない。↗

   The criminal is still at large.

• Synonym罪人ざいにんWrittenWritten/formal prose. A person who has committed a crime, with moral or religious overtones; for the perpetrator of a specific case, use 「犯人」.
• Synonym犯罪者はんざいしゃNeutralNeutral. A general term for people who commit crimes, common in general discussion, as in 「犯罪者の更生」; 「犯人」 points to the perpetrator of a particular case.
• RelatedアウトローNeutralNeutral loanword for someone living outside the law or defying convention, with a slightly romantic flavor; 「犯人」 is the plain term for a culprit.
• Related罪人つみびとWrittenWritten/formal prose. A person who has committed a crime, with moral or religious overtones; for the perpetrator of a specific case, use 「犯人」.
• Related咎人とがにんWrittenWritten/formal prose and old-fashioned: a sinner or offender, found in period dramas, literature and religious contexts. In everyday speech, say 「犯人」.
• Related凶漢きょうかんWrittenWritten/formal prose for a vicious villain or assassin, mostly seen in news reports; 「犯人」 is the neutral way to refer to a culprit.
• Related凶徒きょうとWrittenWritten/formal prose for evildoing mobs and rebel bands — rioters, insurgents; 「犯人」 refers to the perpetrator of one specific case.
• Related姦物かんぶつWrittenWritten/formal prose for a cunning, crooked character; the word does not necessarily imply an actual crime, as 「犯人」 does.
• Related悪漢あっかんWrittenWritten/formal prose for a scoundrel who does evil, mostly in fiction; 「犯人」 is the more objective label.
• Related下手人げしゅにんWrittenWritten/formal prose, old-fashioned: someone who killed with their own hands — a murderer; occasionally still used in case narratives. Usually say 「犯人」 or 「殺人犯」.
• Related無法者むほうしゃNeutralNeutral. A lawless type who defies law and order, used of the type in general; 「犯人」 refers to the perpetrator of a particular case.
• Relatedあぶれ者あぶれものCasualColloquial and dated: an unemployed drifter or ruffian; 「犯人」 refers to the person who committed the crime.
• Antonym被害者ひがいしゃNeutralNeutral antonym: the party that suffers harm in a case, standing in the position opposite 「犯人」.

Use 「犯人」 for the perpetrator of a specific case. For people who commit crimes in general, use 「犯罪者」; in written or religious contexts, 「罪人」; for the villain of a novel, 「悪漢」. The antonym is 「被害者」.

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

1. 罪つみを犯おかした人ひと。
2. 不具合ふぐあいなどの原因げんいんとなっている人ひとや事物じぶつ。