- 犯人 — criminal / offender
- 犯罪 — crime
- 共犯 — accomplice
- 防犯 — crime prevention
- 違犯 — violation
- 犯す — to commit (a crime)
犯 combines 犭 (beast/animal radical) with the component 氾 (overflow/violate). It originally suggested crossing a boundary or breaking a rule, later extending to crimes and offenses. The nuance is strong — it implies both legal violation and moral transgression.
その男が 犯人だと 判明した。
It was confirmed that the man was the criminal.
彼は 罪を 犯したことを 後悔している。
He regrets committing the crime.