放火犯(ほうかはん)

ほうかはん
noun
arsonist
1. arsonist; fire-setter
A person who deliberately sets fire to property. Used in news reports and legal contexts.
放火犯(ほうかはん)が逮捕(たいほ)された。
The arsonist was arrested.
警察(けいさつ)は放火犯(ほうかはん)の行方(ゆくえ)を追(お)っている。
The police are tracking down the arsonist.
連続(れんぞく)放火犯(ほうかはん)による被害(ひがい)が相次(あいつ)いで、住民(じゅうみん)は不安(ふあん)を感(かん)じている。
Damage from a serial arsonist has been occurring one after another, and residents are feeling uneasy.

A compound of 放火(ほうか) (arson; setting fire) and 犯(はん) (criminal/perpetrator). 放火(ほうか) itself is a serious crime under Japanese law, classified alongside murder as one of the most severely punished offenses.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 放火犯(ほうかはん)を逮捕(たいほ)する — to arrest an arsonist
  • 連続(れんぞく)放火犯(ほうかはん) — serial arsonist
  • 放火犯(ほうかはん)を捕(つか)まえる — to catch an arsonist

RELATED TERMS:

  • 放火(ほうか) — arson (the act itself)
  • 放火(ほうか)する — to commit arson
  • 失火(しっか) — accidental fire (as opposed to deliberate arson)
  • 火災(かさい) — fire (general term for fires, whether accidental or deliberate)
general
Added 2026.5.7 0:10
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