kumiin

Kumiin, written in kanji as 組員 and pronounced kumiin, is a Japanese noun meaning a member of a group or organization. The term is composed of the characters 組 (kumi, “group” or “organization”) and 員 (in, “member”). Although it can refer to any member of a collective, it is most recognizable in reference to organized-crime groups, where it denotes a rank-and-file member of the organization.

In contemporary Japanese, kumiin is encountered mainly in journalism, police reports, and crime literature when describing individuals affiliated with criminal associations such as the yakuza. It does not indicate a specific title or rank within the group; higher positions include kumicho (boss) and wakagashira (underboss). The term therefore conveys membership rather than leadership.

Because of its association with organized crime, kumiin carries connotations that may be stigmatizing outside formal contexts. It is mainly used in discussions of crime, law enforcement, and ethnographic or historical accounts of yakuza organizations. See also: Yakuza, Kumicho, Wakagashira.