Meaning and Usage
"犯人" (はんにん) means "offender" or "criminal" and is commonly used in police or crime-related contexts. It refers to the person who committed a crime or wrongdoing.
Common Contexts
You will often hear "犯人" in news reports, police investigations, and crime dramas. It is a neutral term but clearly identifies someone as the person responsible for a crime.
Collocations and Patterns
- 犯人を逮捕する: to arrest the criminal
- 犯人を追う: to chase or pursue the offender
- 犯人の動機: the motive of the criminal
- 真犯人 (しんはんにん): the real culprit, often used when the true offender is revealed
Register and Nuance
"犯人" is a formal and standard term used in both spoken and written Japanese. It is not slang or casual. When talking about suspects, people might use "容疑者" (ようぎしゃ) instead, which means "suspect".
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "犯人" with "被害者" (ひがいしゃ, victim). Remember, "犯人" is the person who committed the crime, not the victim.