Japanese symbol for “thief”
泥棒
どろぼう
Romaji: dorobou
thief; burglar; robber
In Japanese, thief is 泥棒, read どろぼう (dorobou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n thief; burglar; robber
- n, vs, vt theft; burglary; robbery
Written forms: 泥棒、泥坊. Readings: どろぼう、ドロボー、どろぼー.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “thief”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 盗賊 | とうぞく touzoku | thief; robber; burglar |
| 泥 | どろ doro | thief |
| 盗人 | ぬすびと nusubito | thief; robber |
| 賊 | ぞく zoku | thief; robber; burglar |
| 盗人 | ぬすっと nusutto | thief; robber |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泥酔 | でいすい deisui | being dead drunk; drunken stupor |
| 泥沼 | どろぬま doronuma | bog; marsh; swamp |
| 雲泥の差 | うんでいのさ undeinosa | wide difference; a world of difference |
| 汚泥 | おでい odei | sludge; slime; dregs |
| 泥炭 | でいたん deitan | peat |
| 相棒 | あいぼう aibou | partner; pal; accomplice |
| 鉄棒 | てつぼう tetsubou | iron rod; iron bar; iron club |
| 用心棒 | ようじんぼう youjinbou | bodyguard; bouncer; (security) guard |
See also: Chinese symbol for “thief”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.