命いのち取とり

い

の

ち

と

り

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

fatal; deadly; mortal

Describes something that can cause death or ruin; often used figuratively for career-ending or project-destroying mistakes.

そのミスが命いのち取とり

に

なっ

た

。

That mistake proved fatal.

彼かれにとって、このスキャンダルは命いのち取とりだ。

For him, this scandal is deadly.

Kanji

命fate, command, decree
取take, fetch, take up

Related words

致ち命めい的てきN1
命取り is a noun naming the fatal cause itself (often concrete, like an illness or habit), while 致命的 is an adjective describing something as fatal or critically damaging.
致ち命めい傷しょう
命取り is a broader word for something that costs someone their life or ruins them, whereas 致命傷 focuses on the fatal wound or blow itself.

Built from

命いのち+取とる

Written forms

命いのち取とりUsage77%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority in news and frequency lists.
命いのちとりUsage22%
Alternate spelling with okurigana; less common but still encountered.
いのちとりUsage2%

Etymology

Compound of 命 (いのち, 'life') and 取り (とり, noun form of 取る 'to take'), literally 'life-taking'. The figurative extension to non-physical ruin is a natural semantic broadening.