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How to say 'Thief' in Japanese | 泥棒

Wondering how to say 'Thief' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Thief is 'Dorobou', written as 泥棒 in Japanese.'Thief' in hiragana is どろぼう.

    word

    泥棒

    Meaning

    Thief

    Reading

    どろぼう

    dorobou

    Kanji

    Mud, Adhere to Pole, Bar

    Explanation

    The Japanese verbal noun '泥棒 (どろぼう)' means 'thief'. It refers to a person who steals, typically in a sneaky or covert manner. This word is commonly used in everyday conversation and can describe both petty thieves and more serious criminals. For example: The thief stole my wallet「泥棒が私の財布を盗んだ」(どろぼうがわたしのさいふをぬすんだ). Be careful of thieves in this area「この辺りでは泥棒に気をつけて」(このあたりではどろぼうにきをつけて). The word can also be used in idiomatic expressions, such as '泥棒を捕まえる (どろぼうをつかまえる)' which means 'to catch a thief'.

    Part Of Speech

    verbal noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N2

    Kanji Grade

    9

    Frequency

    2066

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 泥棒

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Mud, Adhere to

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Pole, Bar

Words Related to 泥棒 Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 泥 as well.

  • word

    Meaning

    Mud

Words Related to 泥棒 Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 棒 as well.

  • word

    Meaning

    Stick

Learn the Word 泥棒

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What does 'Dorobou' (泥棒) mean?

'Dorobou' means 'Thief' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.