失踪者

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 失踪者 is read as しっそうしゃ; 失踪 (disappearance) plus 者 (person) denotes a missing person whose whereabouts are unknown.
• Basic usage: Use 失踪者が残した手帳 for an item left behind and 失踪者の特徴を聞き取る for gathering identifying features.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Person, not lost property
  • The suffix 者 makes this a person who is missing; it is not used for an object whose location is unknown.
• Do not assume the outcome
  • Unknown whereabouts do not by themselves establish that the person died, fled, or disappeared for any particular reason.