Explore 犯 in words for crime and its prevention. Learn each reading together with a complete word.

The idea

犯 has 5 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 犯罪（はんざい）, 犯人（はんにん） and 防犯（ぼうはん） use はん; 犯す（おかす） uses おか with the ending す.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
犯罪はんざいWe discussed how to prevent crime in our town.
犯人はんにんThe police are looking for the culprit.
防犯ぼうはんThe children learned about crime prevention.
犯すおかすHe committed a crime.

Examples

  • 犯罪はんざいを防ふせぐために、町まちで話はなし合あいました。We discussed how to prevent crime in our town.
  • 警察けいさつは犯人はんにんを探さがしています。The police are looking for the culprit.
  • 店みせに防犯ぼうはんカメラがあります。There is a security camera in the shop.
  • 彼かれは罪つみを犯おかしました。He committed a crime.
  • 子こどもたちは防犯ぼうはんについて学まなびました。The children learned about crime prevention.
  • 犯罪はんざいのニュースを読よみました。I read news about a crime.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

犯人 means the person responsible, while 犯罪 means the crime itself. 犯す is a verb, as in 罪を犯す, not a noun.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 犯罪 in hiragana.

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    はんざい

    犯罪 is はんざい: it means crime; 犯 has the reading はん in this compound.

  2. Write the reading of 犯人 in hiragana.

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    はんにん

    犯人 is はんにん: it refers to a culprit, not the crime itself.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 防＿（ぼうはん）［犯／犬］.

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    犯

    犯 completes 防犯（ぼうはん）, crime prevention; 防 means prevention.

Use it today

Write 犯 following the diagram, cover the table and read 犯罪 and 犯人. Then make a sentence with 防犯.