亡い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 亡い | 亡くない |
| Polite | 亡いです | 亡くないですalso 亡くありません |
| Past polite | 亡かったです | 亡くなかったですalso 亡くありませんでした |
| Past | 亡かった | 亡くなかった |
| Te-form | 亡くて | 亡くなくて |
| Adverbial | 亡く | |
| Conditional | 亡ければ | 亡くなければ |
| Tara conditional | 亡かったら | 亡くなかったら |
Used to state that someone is no longer alive. Often appears in the past tense 亡かった or in set phrases like 亡き人. The kanji 亡 specifically conveys death, unlike 無い which means 'nonexistent'.
See also: ない
He is already dead.
My mother is no longer alive.
pass away; die
lose through death; be bereaved of
remains; corpse; dead body
deceased; late; departed
departed soul; spirit of the dead
lose a family member; be bereaved of
The reading ない is shared with the negative adjective 無い, but the kanji 亡 is used specifically for the meaning 'dead'. The historical derivation is uncertain, but the form is established in literary and formal contexts.