真 犯 人(しんはんにん)

しんはんにん

noun

the real culprit; the true criminal

law

1. the real culprit; the true perpetrator

The person who actually committed a crime, as opposed to someone wrongly suspected or falsely accused.

真犯人(しんはんにん)はまだ捕(つか)まっていない。

The real culprit has not yet been caught.

新(あら)たな証拠(しょうこ)が真犯人(しんはんにん)を指(さ)し示(しめ)した。

New evidence pointed to the true criminal.

無実(むじつ)の人(ひと)が疑(うたが)われている間(あいだ)に、真犯人(しんはんにん)は逃(に)げてしまった。

While an innocent person was under suspicion, the real culprit got away.

Compound of the prefix 真(しん) (true, real) + 犯人(はんにん) (criminal, culprit). The 真(しん) contrasts the actual offender with a suspect or scapegoat, so the word is common in mysteries and crime reporting.

Common collocations

真犯人(しんはんにん)を捕(つか)まえる: to catch the real culprit
真犯人(しんはんにん)が判明(はんめい)する: the true criminal comes to light
真犯人(しんはんにん)は別(べつ)にいる: the real culprit is someone else

Similar words

容疑者(ようぎしゃ): suspect — someone suspected, not yet proven guilty
犯人(はんにん): culprit; offender — the general word, without the "as opposed to a suspect" nuance

Related Words

Compare: 容疑者(ようぎしゃ) (suspect)

general

Added 2026.5.27 11:07 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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