囚人
shūjin[ɕɨːʑĩɴ]
The Japanese word for prisoner is 囚人 (shūjin) or 捕虜 (horyo).
Meaning: person incarcerated in a prison (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 囚人 | shūjin | [ɕɨːʑĩɴ] (narrow) |
| 捕虜 | horyo | [ho̞ɾʲo̞] (narrow) |
In Japanese, the word you choose for prisoner depends entirely on the context of the person's incarceration. Use 囚人 when referring to a criminal serving a sentence in a prison. Use 捕虜 specifically when referring to a prisoner of war captured during combat.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 囚人 is composed of the kanji 囚 (prisoner/captive) and 人 (person). The term 捕虜 is composed of the kanji 捕 (to capture) and 虜 (captive/prisoner).
Which one should you use?
囚人 is the standard term for a prisoner within a criminal context. In contrast, 捕虜 is used within a military context to mean a prisoner of war.
How do you pronounce it?
shūjin
Did you know?
- The character 虜 in 捕虜 can also be used in the word 虜になる (toriko ni naru), which means to be 'captivated' or 'infatuated' by someone.
- The kanji 囚 in 囚人 is a pictograph showing a person 人 enclosed within a box 囗, visually representing someone trapped in a cell.
- In Japanese pop culture, particularly in manga and anime, the term 囚人 is often replaced by 囚われの身 (toraware no mi) to describe the romanticized or dramatic state of being a captive.
Examples in context
- 私は捕虜です。I'm a prisoner.This sentence is useful for identifying oneself as a prisoner using 捕虜.Tatoeba #3583412 by arnab, translation #2203759 by CK
- その囚人は釈放された。The prisoner was released.This sentence is useful for describing the release of a 囚人.Tatoeba #209458 by bunbuku, translation #46719 by CK
- 王はその囚人を解放するように命じた。The king ordered that the prisoner should be set free.This sentence is useful for describing a command involving a 囚人.Tatoeba #188500 by bunbuku, translation #25608 by mcq
- 彼は囚人です。He is a prisoner.
- 囚人を監視するのは大変です。It is difficult to monitor prisoners.
- その男は囚われの身だった。That man was a prisoner.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 陽太 Yotaあの映画の囚人は逃げ出したね。Ano eiga no shuujin wa nigedashita ne.The prisoner in that movie escaped, didn't he?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、でも最後には捕まったよ。Un, demo saigo ni wa tsukamatta yo.Yeah, but he was caught in the end.
- 陽太 Yota囚人が計画を立てるシーンが凄かった。Shuujin ga keikaku o tateru shiin ga sugokatta.The scene where the prisoner makes the plan was amazing.
- 結衣 Yui本当に緊張感のある映画だったね。Hontou ni kinjoukan no aru eiga datta ne.It really was a tense movie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prisoner” translations and entries 囚人, 捕虜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
