テロリスト
terorisuto[te̞ɾo̞ɾʲisɨ̥to̞]
The Japanese word for "terrorist" is テロリスト (terorisuto).
テロリスト is a noun used to describe a person who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle.
Meaning: person who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is terorisuto.
Did you know?
- The word テロ is sometimes used in casual Japanese slang to describe someone who is acting in a disruptive or 'terrorizing' way in a social setting, regardless of politics.
- Depending on the political leaning of a publication, a 'terrorist' might be referred to as 闘争員 meaning 'combatant' or 'struggler' to frame the act as a political struggle.
- Because テロリスト is a katakana word, it is treated as an outsider term, a linguistic trait that can make the word feel more clinical or detached than a native Japanese equivalent.
Examples in context
- 「その組織は厳格な対策を取る必要があり、テロリストとの戦いが続くでしょう。」That organization needs to take strict measures as the fight against terrorists continues.
- テロリストが逮捕された。Terorisuto ga taiho sareta.A terrorist was arrested.
- テロリストの脅迫に注意してください。Terorisuto no kyohaku ni chui shite kudasai.Please be careful of terrorist threats.
- そのテロリストは逃走中だ。Sono terorisuto wa toshuchu da.That terrorist is on the run.
Example conversation
Two people are watching a news report on television.
- 美咲 Misakiニュースによると、テロリストが捕まったみたいだよ。Nyusu ni yoru to, terorisuto ga tsukamatta mitai da yo.According to the news, it looks like a terrorist was caught.
- 蓮 Renそれは本当によかったね。Sore wa honto ni yokatta ne.That is really good news.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんは、この事件についてどう思う？Ren-san wa, kono jiken ni tsuite do omou?Ren, what do you think about this incident?
- 蓮 Renとても恐ろしい事件だと思うよ。Totemo osoroshii jiken da to omou yo.I think it is a very terrifying incident.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “terrorist” translations and entries テロリスト, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
