強盗
gōtō[ɡo̞ːto̞ː]
The English phrase robberies is translated into Japanese as 強盗 (gōtō).
強盗 refers to robbery in a general sense. It is used specifically to describe crimes involving force or threat.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 強盗 is composed of two kanji: 強, meaning 'strong' and 盗, meaning 'steal'. Literally, it translates to 'strong stealing' or 'robbery'.
Which one should you use?
While 強盗 refers to robbery involving force or threat, it is distinct from 窃盗, which refers to theft or larceny without violence. Additionally, the expression 強盗事件 can be used to mean 'robbery incident' to emphasize the criminal act.
How does it change in a sentence?
Japanese nouns do not change form to indicate plurality, so 強盗 can mean both 'robbery' and 'robberies'.
How do you pronounce it?
gōtō
Did you know?
- While 強盗 is the legal term, the word 泥棒 (dorobō) is much more common in daily conversation to describe any kind of thief.
- In Japanese pop culture, specifically in 'shonen' manga, characters who are outlaws are often called 強盗団 to describe a 'robber band' or gang.
- In Japanese crime reporting, the term 強盗 is often paired with the word 致す (to cause/do) to create a formal noun 強盗致死 which refers specifically to a robbery that resulted in death.
Examples in context
- この地域で強盗事件が発生しました。A robbery incident occurred in this area.
- 昨日、強盗行為があったみたいだよ。It seems there was a robbery yesterday.
- 最近、この街で強盗が増えています。Saikin, kono machi de gōtō ga fuete imasu.Recently, robberies have been increasing in this town.
- 警察は強盗の事件を捜査しています。Keisatsu wa gōtō no jiken o sōsa shite imasu.The police are investigating the robbery case.
- 強盗を防ぐための対策が必要です。Gōtō o fusegu tame no taisaku ga hitsuyō desu.Measures are needed to prevent robberies.
Example conversation
Misaki and Daigaku are discussing local safety.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔、最近この辺りで強盗が多いみたいよ。Daigaku, saikin kono atari de gōtō ga ooi mitai yo.Daigaku, it seems like there are many robberies around here lately.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当に？気をつけないとね。Hontō ni? Ki o tsukenaito ne.Really? We have to be careful.
- 美咲 Misaki夜道は一人で歩かないほうがいいわ。Yomichi wa hitori de arukanai hō ga ii wa.It's better not to walk alone at night.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだね。一緒に帰ろうか。Sō da ne. Issho ni kaerō ka.You're right. Shall we go home together?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 強盗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
