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How to say 'Die' in Japanese | 亡くなる

Wondering how to say 'Die' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Die is 'Nakunaru', written as 亡くなる in Japanese.'Die' in hiragana is なくなる.

    Meaning

    Die

    Reading

    なくなる

    nakunaru

    Kanji

    Death, Deceased

    Explanation

    The Japanese verb '亡くなる (なくなる)' is a polite and respectful way to say 'to die'. It is commonly used when referring to the death of someone, especially in formal or sensitive contexts. This term is often preferred over the more direct '死ぬ (しぬ)' as it conveys a sense of respect and solemnity. For example: my grandfather passed away last year「私の祖父は去年亡くなりました」(わたしのそふはきょねんなくなりました). The famous author died at the age of 80「その有名な作家は80歳で亡くなりました」(そのゆうめいなさっかははちじゅっさいでなくなりました). Note that '亡くなる' is typically used for humans, not animals or objects.

    Part Of Speech

    verb

    Kanji JLPT

    N3

    Kanji Grade

    6

    Frequency

    1761

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

This word is an ichidan verb. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 亡くなる

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Death, Deceased

Hiragana in the Word 亡くなる

This word contains 3 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    Ku
  • hiragana

    Reading

    Na
  • hiragana

    Reading

    Ru

Words Related to 亡くなる Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 亡 as well.

  • word

    死亡

    Meaning

    Death

Learn the Word 亡くなる

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What does 'Nakunaru' (亡くなる) mean?

'Nakunaru' means 'Die' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.