被疑者|ひぎしゃhigisha

1. noun, lawsuspect

• Synonym容疑者ようぎしゃNeutralThe usual word for a suspect in news reports; 「被疑者」 is the formal term found in legal texts.
• Synonym嫌疑者けんぎしゃWrittenA person under suspicion; rare even in writing — modern usage prefers 「容疑者」 or 「被疑者」.
• Related被告ひこくNeutralA defendant in civil or criminal cases; news reports mostly use it for criminal defendants, i.e. people already indicted, unlike 「被疑者」.
• Related被告人ひこくにんWrittenFormal legal term for a criminal defendant; once indicted, a 「被疑者」 is called this instead.
• Related刑事被告人けいじひこくにんWrittenThe defendant in a criminal case; stresses that the person has been indicted and is on trial, unlike the not-yet-indicted 「被疑者」.
• Antonym被害者ひがいしゃNeutralThe victim of a crime or other wrongdoing — the opposite party to the 「被疑者」 suspected of committing it.

Before indictment, a crime suspect is 「被疑者」 in legal language and 「容疑者」 in news reports; once indicted, they become 「被告人」, reported as 「被告」. The opposite party is 「被害者」. 「嫌疑者」 is rare, and 「刑事被告人」 stresses the trial stage.

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

1. 犯罪はんざいの疑うたがいがあり捜査そうさされているが、まだ起訴きそされていない者もの。