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Kotomora

死

death, die

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 500Strokes6

Readings

On'yomi

  • シ

Kun'yomi

  • し.ぬ
  • し.に-

Meaning

死 centers on the end of life: death and dying. It covers both the state of being dead and the process of dying.

Most common words using 死

24 of 521
  • 死ぬしぬ
    N5

    to die; to pass away

  • 死し
    N1

    death

  • 死亡しぼう
    N3

    death; dying; mortality

  • 必死ひっし
    N3

    frantic; frenetic; desperate

  • 死刑しけい
    N1

    death penalty; capital punishment

  • 死体したい
    N2

    dead body; corpse; cadaver; carcass

  • 死者ししゃ
    N1

    dead person; (the) deceased; (the) dead; casualties

  • 死後しご

    after death

  • 死人しにん
    N1

    corpse; dead person

  • 死去しきょ
    N1

    death; decease; passing away

  • 戦死せんし
    N1

    death in battle

  • 死因しいん

    cause of death

  • 即死そくし
    N1

    instant death

  • 致死ちし

    lethal; fatal

  • 餓死がし

    (death from) starvation; starving to death

  • 生死せいし
    N1

    life and death; life or death

  • 不死身ふじみ

    invulnerability; immortality; insensibility to pain

  • 脳死のうし
    N1

    brain death

  • 死語しご

    dead language; extinct language

  • 凍死とうし

    death from cold; freezing to death

  • 急死きゅうし

    sudden death

  • 病死びょうし
    N1

    death from disease; death from illness

  • 死球しきゅう

    pitch that hits the batter

  • 無死むし

    no outs

Explore all words using 死 →

Study

Etymology

死 combines 歹 (remains/bones) and 匕 (a person), suggesting a person beside remains, representing death.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 歹 looks like bones or remains, and the right side 匕 is a person. Picture a person lying beside bones, representing death.

Reading mnemonic

For シ, imagine a scene of death where someone whispers 'she' is gone: she -> シ, tying the sound to the finality of death.