What is the Kanji for "Death"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Death", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Death" is "死".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Shi".

Its onyomi reading is "Shi".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "匕" means "Spoon" . And The radical "歹" means "Bad" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "死" mean in japanese?

"死" means "Death".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

死ぬ: "Die". The Japanese verb '死ぬ (しぬ)' means 'to die'. This verb is used to express the permanent termination of life. It can be used to refer to the death of a person, animal, or even an abstract concept. For example: My grandfather died last week - (私の祖父は先週亡くなった). Plants die without water - (水がなければ植物は枯れる).

死: "Death". The Japanese noun '死 (し)' means 'death'. It refers to the end of life, the permanent cessation of all vital functions. This word is commonly used to describe the passing of a person, animal or even an idea. It can also be used figuratively, such as to describe the 'death' of a dream or the 'death' of a relationship. For example: He died of old age - (彼は老齢のために死んだ). The death penalty - (死刑)

死体: "Corpse". The Japanese word '死体 (したい)' is a noun that means 'corpse'. It refers to the physical remains of a dead human body. This word is often used in medical, legal, or investigative contexts. For example: The police discovered a corpse in the alley - (警察は路地に死体を発見した). The medical examiner inspected the corpse - (検死官が死体を検査した).

必死: "Desperate". The adjectival noun '必死 (ひっし)' means 'desperate'. This word is used to describe a person or situation that is extremely determined, with a strong sense of urgency or importance. It conveys a feeling of great need or struggle, such as when someone is fighting for their life or trying to achieve something of vital importance. For example: He fought desperately to save his friend - (彼は友人を必死に救おうとした)。 In a desperate situation, she kept trying to find a solution - (必死の状況でも、彼女は解決策を見つけようと続けた).

生死: "Life and death". The noun '生死 (せいし)' refers to the fundamental state of existence, encompassing both life and death. It expresses the cycle and finality of human existence. This term is often used in philosophical or religious contexts to discuss the nature of human life and mortality. For example: The soldiers bravely faced life and death - (兵士たちは生死に直面していた). The concept of life and death is central to many Eastern philosophies - (生死の概念は多くの東洋の思想の中心的なものである).

死亡: "Death". The verbal noun '死亡 (しぼう)' means 'death'. This word refers to the permanent cessation of all vital functions in a living organism. It is a formal and medical term often used to describe the passing away of a person. For example: The patient died of heart failure - (その患者は心不全で死亡した). The death toll from the accident was 10 - (事故による死亡者数は10人だった).

戦死: "Die in battle". The verbal noun '戦死 (せんし)' means 'to die in battle'. It refers to the act of losing one's life while engaged in military combat. This word carries a solemn and serious connotation, often used to describe the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers or warriors in the line of duty. For example: He died in battle - (彼は戦死した). The soldier fought bravely until his death in battle - (その兵士は戦死するまで勇敢に戦った).

死者: "Dead". The Japanese noun '死者 (ししゃ)' means 'the dead'. It refers to people who have passed away or died. This word is commonly used when discussing deceased individuals or talking about the dead in general. For example: We honor the dead - (私たちは死者を敬う). Many people visited the graves of the dead - (多くの人々が死者の墓を訪れた).

死後: "Afterlife". The noun '死後 (しご)' refers to the state or condition of existence after death. It is used to describe the belief that consciousness or the soul continues to exist after the physical body has died. Many religions and spiritual beliefs include concepts of an afterlife, such as heaven, reincarnation, or the underworld. For example: Beliefs about the afterlife vary across cultures - (文化によって死後の世界についての信仰は異なる). What happens in the afterlife is a mystery - (死後の世界のことは謎に包まれている).

死刑: "Execution". The Japanese noun '死刑 (しけい)' means 'execution'. It refers to the lawful punishment of death for a crime. This term is used to describe the judicial process of sentencing a convicted criminal to death and carrying out that sentence. For example: He was sentenced to execution for murder - (彼は殺人罪で死刑に処せられた). Capital punishment - (死刑)

病死: "Die". The verbal noun '病死 (びょうし)' means 'to die'. This term refers to someone passing away due to illness or disease. It is a formal and serious way to describe a person's death, often used in official or medical contexts. For example: He died of cancer - (彼は癌で病死した). The patient died in the hospital - (患者は病院で病死した).

必死に: "Desperately". The adverb '必死に (ひっしに)' means 'desperately'. It is used to describe an action or state that is carried out with great effort, determination, and intensity. This adverb emphasizes the degree of effort or resolve behind an action. For example: She studied desperately for the exam - (彼女は試験のために必死に勉強した). They fought desperately to save the child - (彼らは子供を救うために必死に戦った).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "し" is read as "shi"

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.