Translation guide
In Japanese, expressing 'missing person' depends on context: whether someone is unaccounted for, has disappeared, or is being searched for officially. The most common and neutral term is 行方不明者, used in news and formal contexts. For everyday speech, phrases like いなくなった人 or 行方不明の人 are more natural.
A person whose whereabouts are unknown, often used in news, police reports, or official contexts.
Standard term for a missing person. Neutral and widely understood. Used in formal announcements and news.
警察は行方不明者を捜索しています。
The police are searching for the missing person.
A slightly more conversational version of 行方不明者, literally 'person of unknown whereabouts'.
行方不明の人がまだ見つかっていません。
The missing person hasn't been found yet.
Talking about someone who has disappeared or is not where they should be, in informal conversation.
Literally 'person who has disappeared/gone missing'. Natural in casual talk.
昨日からいなくなった人がまだ戻ってない。
The person who went missing yesterday still hasn't come back.
Literally 'person who vanished'. Slightly more dramatic, often implies intentional disappearance.
彼は突然姿を消した人の一人だ。
He is one of the people who suddenly vanished.
Referring to people unaccounted for after a disaster, accident, or large-scale event.
Specifically refers to people whose safety is unknown, often used in disaster reports.
地震で安否不明者が多数います。
There are many people unaccounted for after the earthquake.
Literally 'person who cannot be contacted'. Common in both formal and informal contexts when communication is lost.
津波の後、連絡が取れない人がまだ大勢います。
After the tsunami, there are still many people who cannot be reached.
Used in legal contexts, such as declaring someone legally missing.
Legal term for a missing person, often implying voluntary disappearance or used in official declarations of absence.
彼は失踪者として届け出られた。
He was reported as a missing person.
行方不明者 is the general term for anyone whose whereabouts are unknown, often used in news and police contexts. 失踪者 is more formal and legal, often implying the person left intentionally or a court has declared them missing. In everyday conversation, 行方不明の人 or いなくなった人 are more natural.
行方不明者として捜索願が出された。
A search request was filed for the missing person.
失踪宣告を受けた失踪者。
A missing person who has been declared legally absent.
Directly translating 'missing person' as ない人 or ミッシングパーソン is unnatural. Use the terms above depending on context.
この行方不明者を見かけましたか？
Have you seen this missing person?
行方不明の人が無事に見つかりました。
The missing person was found safe.