The word 肇事者 is formed by combining the character 肇, meaning 'to cause' or 'initiate,' with 事, meaning 'event' or 'incident,' to create the verb phrase 肇事, meaning 'to cause an incident.' The suffix 者, meaning 'person' or 'one who,' is then added to form a noun meaning 'the person who causes an incident,' or 'perpetrator.'