noun
sinner; evildoer; wrongdoer
Refers to a person who has committed a sin or crime, often with a moral or religious connotation. Can be used in both serious and literary contexts.
彼は罪人として裁かれた。
He was judged as a sinner.
罪人の更生を支援する団体がある。
There are organizations that support the rehabilitation of wrongdoers.
犯罪者 is a more legal/neutral term for 'criminal', while 罪人 carries a stronger moral or religious nuance of 'sinner'.
Compound of 罪 (tsumi, 'sin, crime') and 人 (hito, 'person'), with rendaku voicing of hito to bito. The exact historical derivation is straightforward.