1.
criminal, offender, guilty person
A person who has committed a crime or offense. A somewhat literary or formal term compared to the more common 犯人.
罪人は処刑された。
The criminal was executed.
江戸時代、罪人は晒し者にされた。
During the Edo period, criminals were put on public display.
裁判で有罪となった罪人が島流しにされた。
Criminals found guilty at trial were banished to remote islands.
2.
sinner, wrongdoer
A person who has committed a moral or spiritual transgression. Used in religious contexts and metaphorically to describe someone burdened by guilt.
私は罪人だ。
I am a sinner.
彼は自分を罪人のように感じていた。
He felt as though he were a sinner.
聖書には、すべての人間は罪人であると書かれている。
The Bible states that all humans are sinners.
USAGE:
More literary and formal than 犯人 (culprit) or 犯罪者 (criminal). Frequently appears in historical narratives, religious texts, and literary works. The reading ざいにん is standard; the older reading つみびと is sometimes seen in literary or religious contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 罪人を裁く: to judge a criminal
- 罪人を許す: to forgive a sinner
- 大罪人: great sinner, grave offender
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 犯人: culprit, perpetrator — focuses on the person who committed a specific crime
- 犯罪者: criminal — the standard modern legal term