# 泥棒
## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 泥 | 棒 |
| どろ Grade: S | ぼう Grade: 6 |
| yutōyomi ||
* Alternative spellings
* 泥坊 ドロボー

### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) どろぼー [dòróbóó] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [do̞ɾo̞bo̞ː]

### Noun

泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) • (dorobō)
* thief
    Synonyms: 盗っ人 (nusutto), 盗人 (nusubito), 盗賊 (tōzoku)
* theft

#### Usage notes

* This is an example of a word that can be spelled with katakana to convey an informal conversational tone, as ドロボー.

#### Derived terms

* 噓(うそ)つきは泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)の始(はじ)まり (usotsuki wa dorobō no hajimari, “Someone who can lie with ease will not think theft is bad.”)
* 御(お)目(め)見(み)得(え)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (o-memie dorobō)
* 火(か)事(じ)場(ば)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (kajiba dorobō, “looter at the scene of a fire; someone who takes advantage of confusion for dishonest personal gain”)
* 給(きゅう)料(りょう)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (kyūryō dorobō)
* 車(くるま)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (kuruma dorobō, “auto theft; car thief”)
* 月(げっ)給(きゅう)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (gekkyū dorobō, “freeloader; slacker”)
* こそこそ泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (kosokoso dorobō, “sneak thief; cat burglar; petty thief”)
* 粉(こな)屋(や)の泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (konaya no dorobō, “a heavily made-up woman”)
* 税(ぜい)金(きん)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (zeikin dorobō, “tax parasite (e.g. public servant, politician, welfare recipient, etc.); tax thief”)
* 説(せっ)教(きょう)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (sekkyō dorobō, “burglar who preaches at the victim about the methods of preventing similar crimes”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)稼(か)業(ぎょう) (dorobō kagyō, “professional thievery”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)削(けず)り (dorobō kezuri, “pencil sharpened at both ends”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)根(こん)性(じょう) (dorobō konjō, “underhand character; thievish nature”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)上(じょう)戸(ご) (dorobō jōgo)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)政(せい)治(じ) (dorobō seiji, “kleptocracy”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)政(せい)治(じ)家(か) (dorobō seijika, “kleptocrat”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)に追(お)い銭(せん) (dorobō ni oisen, “to throw good money after bad​”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)にも三(さん)分(ぶ)の道(どう)理(り) (dorobō ni mo sanbu no dōri)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)猫(ねこ) (dorobō neko, “thieving cat; adulterer; home wrecker”)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)回(まわ)り (dorobō mawari)
* 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)を捕(と)らえて縄(なわ)を綯(な)う (dorobō o toraete nawa o nau, “to start something in the eleventh hour”)
* 墓(はか)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (haka dorobō, “graverobber; graverobbing”)
* 花(はな)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (hana dorobō, “flower thief; stealing flowers”)
* 花(はな)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)は罪(つみ)にならない (hana dorobō wa tsumi ni naranai)
* 半(はん)鐘(しょう)泥(どろ)棒(ぼう) (hanshō dorobō, “a very tall person”)
* 人(ひと)を見(み)たら泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)と思(おも)え (hito o mitara dorobō to omoe, “don't trust someone else rashly”)

#### See also

* 窃(せっ)盗(とう) (settō)
* 強(ごう)盗(とう) (gōtō)

### Verb

泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)する • (dorobō suru) transitive or intransitive suru (stem 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)し (dorobō shi), past 泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)した (dorobō shita))
* to thieve, to steal
** 1950, 坂口安吾, 街はふるさと‎, 青空文庫:
    ろくに稼(かせ)ぎもないくせに、ムダ食(ぐ)いやムダ使(づか)いがやめられない五人(ごにん)の宿(やど)なしパンパンが、今(いま)まで泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)しなかったのが珍(めずら)しい。
       Roku ni kasegi mo nai kuse ni, mudagui ya mudazukai ga yamerarenai gonin no yadonashi panpan ga, ima made dorobō shinakatta no ga mezurashii.
       It was extraordinary that these five had not thieved until now, seeing as they were homeless prostitutes who could not stop their wasteful eating habits or wasteful spending despite not making much.

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 泥棒し | どろぼうし | dorobō shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 泥棒し | どろぼうし | dorobō shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 泥棒する | どろぼうする | dorobō suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 泥棒する | どろぼうする | dorobō suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 泥棒すれ | どろぼうすれ | dorobō sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 泥棒せよ¹ 泥棒しろ² | どろぼうせよ¹ どろぼうしろ² | dorobō seyo¹ dorobō shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 泥棒される | どろぼうされる | dorobō sareru |
| Causative | 泥棒させる 泥棒さす | どろぼうさせる どろぼうさす | dorobō saseru dorobō sasu |
| Potential | 泥棒できる | どろぼうできる | dorobō dekiru |
| Volitional | 泥棒しよう | どろぼうしよう | dorobō shiyō |
| Negative | 泥棒しない | どろぼうしない | dorobō shinai |
| Negative continuative | 泥棒せず | どろぼうせず | dorobō sezu |
| Formal | 泥棒します | どろぼうします | dorobō shimasu |
| Perfective | 泥棒した | どろぼうした | dorobō shita |
| Conjunctive | 泥棒して | どろぼうして | dorobō shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 泥棒すれば | どろぼうすれば | dorobō sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||