범인
beomin[ˈpɘ(ː)min]
The Korean word for culprit is 범인 (beomin).
범인 refers to a person who has committed a crime.
Meaning: person or thing at fault of problem or crime (noun)
Which one should you use?
While English uses 'culprit' to describe both a person who committed a crime and a non-human cause of a problem, 범인 is used specifically in a criminal context for a person.
How do you pronounce it?
beomin
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 범인 to describe a non-human 'culprit' such as a piece of faulty equipment. In Korean, this term is strictly reserved for human perpetrators.
Did you know?
- Because 범인 is a Sino-Korean word, it can be written with different Chinese characters depending on the context. While it usually means 'criminal', the same pronunciation can also mean 'an ordinary person' when using the character for 'common' or 'vulgar'.
- In Korean police procedurals and crime dramas, you will often hear the phrase 범인은 이 안에 있어 ('The culprit is in here'), a classic trope used during the climax of a mystery.
- While English speakers can jokingly call a hungry pet the 'culprit' for a mess, using 범인 for a pet would sound strangely dramatic or even comical to a Korean speaker due to its heavy criminal weight.
Examples in context
- 경찰은 범인을 검거했습니다.The police have apprehended the culprit.
- 그 범인은 심각한 범죄를 저질렀습니다.The criminal committed a serious crime.
- 진짜 범인은 누구인가요?jin-jja beom-in-eun nu-gu-in-ga-yo?Who is the real culprit?
- 그 사건의 범인을 찾고 있어요.geu sa-geon-ui beom-in-eul chat-go it-eo-yo.They are looking for the culprit of that case.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyun are looking for who ate the last piece of cake.
- 서연 Seo-yeon내 케이크 누가 먹었지?nae keikeu nuga meogeotji?Who ate my cake?
- 도현 Do-hyeon글쎄요, 제가 범인 아니에요.geulsseyo, jega beomin anieyo.I don't know, I'm not the culprit.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현 씨 입가에 크림이 있네요.dohyeon ssi ipgae keurimi inneyo.Dohyun, there is cream around your mouth.
- 도현 Do-hyeon앗, 들켰다!at, deulgyeotda!Oops, I'm caught!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “culprit” translations and entries 범인, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 범인, CC BY-SA 4.0.
