盗賊|とうぞくtouzoku[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounthief; robber; burglar; bandit
   ここでは盗賊とうぞくにご用心ようじん。↗

   Watch out for thieves around here.

• Synonym泥棒どろぼうNeutralThe everyday, most common word for a thief or burglar. 「盗賊」 sounds archaic and can cover stealing or plundering, alone or in a band.
• Synonym盗人ぬすびとCasualAn old colloquial word for a thief, older than 「泥棒」; appears in the proverb 「盗人猛々しい」.
• Synonym強盗ごうとうNeutralA robber or robbery: seizing property through violence or threats; also used in legal contexts.
• Synonym賊ぞくWrittenA single-character written word for a thief, also a rebel or traitor, as in 「賊軍」.
• Synonym偸盗ちゅうとうWrittenA written term for stealing, rare and chiefly Buddhist, as in the precept 「偸盗戒」.
• Related匪賊ひぞくWrittenIn written/formal prose, bandits; stresses armed gangs of outlaws rather than ordinary thieves.
• Related賊徒ぞくとWrittenA written word for a gang of rebels or villains; stresses a group that stirs up disorder.
• Related物取りものとりNeutralA thief, one who steals things. 「盗賊」 is archaic and also carries the nuance of plundering.
• Related白波しらなみWrittenA poetic name for thieves, from the White Wave bandits of China; found mainly in kabuki plays.
• Related窃盗犯せっとうはんWrittenA legal term for someone who has committed theft or larceny.
• Related匪徒ひとWrittenIn written/formal prose, bandits or gangsters; stresses a violent gang working together in crime.

Use 「盗賊」 for thieves who steal and plunder; it has an archaic flavor, as in 「盗賊団」. For an everyday thief say 「泥棒」, for violent robbery 「強盗」, in legal contexts 「窃盗犯」, and for bandits 「匪賊」.

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

1. 盗ぬすみや略奪りゃくだつを行おこなう賊ぞく。盗人ぬすびと。