犯罪者

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 犯罪者 (はんざいしゃ) is a compound noun for a person who has committed a crime.
• Basic usage: 犯罪者は意外な人物だった predicates the identity of a criminal in a novel, while 誰かを犯罪者と決めつける uses the noun as a label assigned to someone.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Identified culprit and unsupported label
  • 犯罪者と決めつける describes labeling someone without evidence and therefore does not establish that the person is actually a criminal. This differs from the identified figure in the first narrative.