怪盗
kaitō
The English phrase "phantom thief" is translated into Japanese as 怪盗 (kaitō).
The term refers to a fictional type of thief who is mysterious and often leaves clues about their next heist. It is most commonly used in the context of fiction, such as anime, manga and video games, to describe a character with a flamboyant or theatrical style of theft.
How do you pronounce it?
kaitō
Did you know?
- While 盗 means 'thief', it is also the root for the word 盗聴 meaning 'eavesdropping', which literally translates to 'stealing a conversation'.
- The character 怪 in 怪盗 is also used in 妖怪 to describe supernatural monsters or spirits, linking the 'phantom thief' to the paranormal.
- While the term 怪盗 is used for fictional characters, calling a real person a 怪盗 in a crime report would sound strangely dramatic, as if you were writing a novel rather than reporting news.
Examples in context
- その映画には怪盗が登場する。Sono eiga ni wa kaitou ga toujou suru.A phantom thief appears in that movie.
- 怪盗からの予告状が届いた。Kaitou kara no yokokujou ga todoita.A notice from the phantom thief arrived.
- 彼は怪盗の小説を読んでいる。Kare wa kaitou no shousetsu o yonde iru.He is reading a novel about a phantom thief.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 美咲 Misakiあの映画の怪盗、かっこいいよね。Ano eiga no kaitō, kakkoii yo ne.The phantom thief in that movie is cool, isn't he?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、トリックがすごかったよ。Un, torikku ga sugokatta yo.Yeah, the tricks were amazing.
- 美咲 Misaki最後はどうやって逃げたのかな。Saigo wa dō yatte nigeta no kana.I wonder how he escaped at the end.
- 陽太 Yotaそこがこの怪盗のすごいところだよ。Soko ga kono kaitō no sugoi tokoro da yo.That's what makes this phantom thief so great.
