詐欺師
sagishi[sa̠ɡʲiɕi]
The Japanese word for scammer is 詐欺師 (sagishi).
詐欺師 is used to describe both professional con artists and general scammers within a criminal context. If you wish to refer to the act of fraud or the scam itself rather than the person, use the noun 詐欺.
Meaning: swindler, cheat (noun)
Which one should you use?
For a more colloquial way to describe a swindler or a rip-off artist, you can use ぼったくり.
How do you pronounce it?
sagishi
Did you know?
- The suffix 師 in 詐欺師 is the same one used for respected professionals like 'doctors' (医師) or 'teachers' (教師). This adds a dry, ironic layer to the word, as if the scammer is a 'master' or 'expert' of their deceptive craft.
- The word 詐欺 (sagi) is a homophone for the Japanese word for 'heron', a type of bird. This occasionally leads to visual puns or wordplay in Japanese media.
- The term オレオレ詐欺 highlights a specific cultural linguistic trait where the scammer uses 俺 (ore), a very informal and masculine version of 'I', to immediately establish a close, familial bond with the victim.
Examples in context
- あの男は詐欺師です。Ano otoko wa sagishi desu.That man is a scammer.
- 詐欺師に騙されないでください。Sagishi ni damasarenaide kudasai.Please do not be tricked by a scammer.
- 彼は詐欺師だと分かりました。Kare wa sagishi da to wakarimashita.I realized he was a scammer.
Example conversation
Hana and Ren are talking about a suspicious email.
- 蓮 Renこのメール、怪しくないか？Kono meeru, ayashiku nai ka?Doesn't this email look suspicious?
- 陽葵 Himariきっと詐欺師が送ったメールだよ。Kitto sagishishi ga okutta meeru da yo.A scammer probably sent this email.
- 蓮 Ren本当に危ないな。Hontou ni abunai na.It really is dangerous.
- 陽葵 Himariすぐに削除してね、蓮。Sugu ni sakujo shite ne, Ren.Delete it right away, Ren.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scammer” translations and entries 詐欺師, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
