賊|ぞくzoku[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounthief; robber; burglar
   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.
2. nounrebel; insurgent; traitor

• Synonym盗賊とうぞくNeutralA thief or bandit, alone or in a gang; common in tales and history, as in 「四十人の盗賊」. More everyday than 「賊」.
• Synonym強盗ごうとうNeutralA robber, or robbery itself; standard in law and news and carries a violent nuance that 「賊」 does not emphasize.
• Synonym泥棒どろぼうNeutralThe everyday word for a thief; far more colloquial than 「賊」 and with no sense of rebel or traitor.
• Synonym盗人ぬすびとNeutralAn old-fashioned, colloquial word for a thief, as in 「盗人猛々しい」; it has none of 「賊」's rebel sense.
• Synonym物取りものとりNeutralSomeone who steals or snatches other people's property, or such an act, as in 「物取りの犯行」; leans colloquial and is more concrete than 「賊」.
• Synonym窃盗犯せっとうはんNeutralA theft offender; formal legal and news usage, more specific than 「賊」 and not used for robbery or rebellion.
• Synonym偸盗ちゅうとうWrittenStealing; rare and formal, kept mainly to religious contexts such as the Buddhist precept 「不偸盗戒」. In everyday speech say 「盗み」.
• Related匪賊ひぞくWrittenBandits who plunder in gangs; a historical term. 「賊」 is the broader word for thieves and can also mean a rebel.
• Related賊徒ぞくとWrittenA band of rebels or bandits; rare even in writing. It relates to both senses of 「賊」 but stresses the group.
• Related緑林りょくりんWrittenOriginally a densely wooded mountain forest, by extension bandits lurking in one; a literary allusion, not used in daily speech.
• Related白波しらなみWrittenOriginally white-crested waves, but also a literary name for thieves, familiar from kabuki; not an everyday word.
• Related匪徒ひとWrittenBandits or hoodlums who band together and use violence or threats; an old legal term, seldom seen today.

For an everyday thief say 「泥棒」; for a robber, 「強盗」. 「賊」 itself belongs mostly to older writing or the news, as in 「賊が侵入」, and can also mean a rebel or traitor. 「盗賊」 fits thieves or bandits in tales and history, 「窃盗犯」 is the legal term for a thief, and the remaining words are old, formal or allusive.

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

1. （ゾク）盗犯とうはんや強盗ごうとう。