盗み
nusumi[nɯ̟sɨmʲi]
Stealing in Japanese is 盗み (nusumi).
The word 盗み refers to the act of taking something that belongs to someone else without permission. The phrase 盗みを働く is a common collocation used to describe the act of committing a theft.
How do you pronounce it?
nusumi
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese arts like tea ceremony or calligraphy, the act of 'stealing' a technique by observing a master is viewed as a legitimate way of learning.
- In Japanese, a 'thief' is often called a 泥棒 (dorobō), which literally translates to 'mud thief'.
- There is a distinct cultural concept called 盗み愛 (nusumi-ai), which refers to a secret, forbidden love or an illicit affair.
Examples in context
- 彼女は飢えのため盗みを働いた。She was driven to stealing by hunger.This sentence illustrates the use of 盗み in the context of being driven to theft by hunger.Tatoeba #90559 by bunbuku, translation #313153 by CM
- 飢えるより盗みをした方がましだ。Stealing is preferable to starving.This sentence shows the use of 盗み when comparing stealing to starving.Tatoeba #8400569 by Ninja, translation #11385672 by DJ_Saidez
- 盗みをするよりも飢え死にした方がましだ。I would rather starve than start stealing.This sentence demonstrates the use of 盗み when expressing a preference for starving over stealing.Tatoeba #124143 by bunbuku, translation #6481975 by AlanF_US
- The incident was reported as 盗難 (とうなん) to the local authorities.The incident was reported as stealing to the local authorities.
- The police investigation concluded that it was a case of 窃盗 (せっとう).The police investigation concluded that it was a case of thievery.
- He often tries to 盗む (ぬすむ) small items from the store.He often tries to steal small items from the store.
- The 泥棒 (どろぼう) discreetly entered the house and took the valuable artwork.The thief discreetly entered the house and took the valuable artwork.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A discussion about a news report at a coffee shop.
- 美咲 Misaki最近、商店街での盗みが増えているみたいだよ。Saikin, shoutengai de no nusumi ga fuete iru mitai da yo.It seems like stealing in the shopping district has been increasing lately.
- 蓮 Renそれは怖いね。警備を強化すべきだ。Sore wa kowai ne. Keibi o kyouka subeki da.That's scary. They should strengthen security.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮君も、荷物には気を付けてね。Ren-kun mo, nimotsu ni wa ki o tsukete ne.Ren, you should be careful with your belongings too.
- 蓮 Renうん、気をつけるよ。ありがとう。Un, ki o tsukeru yo. Arigatou.Yeah, I'll be careful. Thanks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 盗み, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
