主犯

• Reading: しゅはん
• Romaji: shuhan
• Kanji breakdown: 主 (shū) — principal, main; 犯 (han) — crime, offence
• Pronunciation: /ɕɯ.ha.ɴ/

Meaning

Principal offender; ringleader; mastermind. The person most responsible for planning or leading a crime.

A legal and journalistic noun referring to the main perpetrator in a crime involving multiple people. 主犯 bears the greatest criminal responsibility in contrast to 従犯 (jūhan), an accessory or secondary offender. In court, establishing who is the 主犯 affects the severity of sentencing. The term also appears figuratively to describe the primary cause of a problem.

Examples

1. 警察は詐欺事件の主犯格を逮捕したと発表した。 Police announced that they arrested the ringleader of the fraud case.
2. 裁判では共犯者の証言によって主犯が特定された。 At trial, the principal offender was identified through the testimony of accomplices.
3. この混乱の主犯は誰かと問われれば、制度設計の失敗だと言わざるを得ない。 If asked who the mastermind behind this chaos is, one would have to say it was a failure of institutional design.

Usage Guide

Context: criminal law, journalism, courts, crime reporting

Tone: serious

Origin & History

From 主 (shū/omo) meaning 'principal or main' and 犯 (han) meaning 'crime or offence.' A legal compound identifying the central perpetrator among multiple offenders.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: All classes