海 賊(かいぞく)

かいぞく

noun

pirate

1. pirate

A person who attacks and robs ships at sea. Also used for historical pirates and in modern contexts such as pirated goods (海賊版(かいぞくばん)).

海賊(かいぞく)の映画(えいが)を見(み)た。

I watched a pirate movie.

かつてこの海域(かいいき)には海賊(かいぞく)が多(おお)かった。

There used to be many pirates in these waters.

海賊版(かいぞくばん)のソフトウェアをダウンロードするのは違法(いほう)だ。

Downloading pirated software is illegal.

Usage

The compound 海賊版(かいぞくばん) (pirated edition/version) is very common in modern Japanese, referring to unauthorized copies of software, movies, books, and other media.

Cultural note

Japan has its own history of piracy. The 倭寇(わこう) were pirates who raided the coasts of China and Korea from the 13th to 16th centuries. 村上水軍(むらかみすいぐん) (Murakami naval forces) controlled the Seto Inland Sea during the medieval period. In popular culture, pirates feature prominently in manga and anime.

Common collocations

海賊版(かいぞくばん): pirated edition, bootleg
海賊(かいぞく)船(せん): pirate ship
海賊(かいぞく)行為(こうい): piracy
海賊(かいぞく)旗(はた): pirate flag, Jolly Roger

Related Words

Compare: 山賊(さんぞく) (bandit (mountain))

general

Added 2026.2.24 17:54 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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