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致命 (ちめい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

致ち命めい

ち

め

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

fatal; deadly; mortal

Used primarily in compounds such as 致命的 (fatal, deadly) or 致命傷 (fatal wound). Rarely used as a standalone noun.

その事じ故こは彼かれにとって致ち命めい的てきだった。
The accident was fatal for him.
このミスは致ち命めい傷しょうになりかねない。
This mistake could be a fatal blow.

Kanji

致doth, do, send
命fate, command, decree

Similar words

致ち命めい的てき
The adjectival form, much more common in everyday usage than the standalone noun 致命.

Etymology

From 致 (bring about, cause) and 命 (life), literally 'to cause loss of life'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used in Japanese to mean 'fatal' since at least the early modern period.