Until the Edo period, there was no standardized name for ninja and it varied in each region, for example, there were name such as "Rappa", "Suppa (素破) (the origin of a slang word "Suppanuki" meaning divulgation)", "Suppa (水破)", "Suppa (出抜)", "Toppa (突破)", "Toppa (透破)", "Ukagami", "Dakko", "Kusa", "Nokizaru", "Kyodo", "Kyodan", "Monomi", "Kanshi", "Kikimonoyaku", "Arukimiko", "Kamari" and "Hayamichi no mono".
江戸時代までは統一名称は無く地方により呼び方が異なり、「乱破（らっぱ）」「素破（すっぱ、“スッパ抜き”という俗語の語源）」「水破（すっぱ）」「出抜（すっぱ）」「突破（とっぱ）」「透破（とっぱ）」「伺見（うかがみ）」「奪口（だっこう）」「草」「軒猿」「郷導（きょうどう）」「郷談（きょうだん）」「物見」「間士（かんし）」「聞者役（ききものやく）」「歩き巫女」「かまり」「早道の者」などがある。