張 本 人(ちょうほんにん)

ちょうほんにん

noun

main culprit; ringleader

formal

1. main culprit; ringleader; instigator; person primarily responsible

The person most responsible for causing a problem or incident. Almost always used negatively, implying blame.

騒(さわ)ぎの張本人(ちょうほんにん)は彼(かれ)だ。

He's the one who started all the trouble.

この問題(もんだい)の張本人(ちょうほんにん)が誰(だれ)なのか調(しら)べている。

We're investigating who's primarily responsible for this problem.

情報(じょうほう)漏洩(ろうえい)の張本人(ちょうほんにん)は社内(しゃない)にいると考(かんが)えられている。

It is believed that the person responsible for the information leak is inside the company.

A formal word with strong negative connotations, used to identify the person most responsible for something bad. Composed of 張本(ちょうほん) (origin of trouble) + 人(にん) (person).

Common collocations

事件(じけん)の張本人(ちょうほんにん): the person behind the incident
騒(さわ)ぎの張本人(ちょうほんにん): the one who caused the commotion
張本人(ちょうほんにん)を突(つ)き止(と)める: to identify the culprit

Usage

Almost exclusively negative. Unlike 犯人(はんにん) (criminal), which implies a legal crime, 張本人(ちょうほんにん) is broader and can refer to the instigator of any trouble, scandal, or undesirable situation.

Similar words

犯人(はんにん): criminal; perpetrator — specifically refers to someone who committed a crime
首謀者(しゅぼうしゃ): mastermind — implies planning and leadership of a group
元凶(げんきょう): root cause; source of evil — can refer to a person or thing

Related Words

Compare: 犯人(はんにん) (criminal)

Compare: 首謀者(しゅぼうしゃ) (mastermind)

Compare: 元凶(げんきょう) (root cause)

Compare: 首謀(しゅぼう) (masterminding)

general

Added 2026.5.5 20:07 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

26500/26787_chouhonnin