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横死 (おうし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

横おう死し

お

う

し

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

violent death; tragic death; accidental death

Formal or literary term for an unnatural, untimely death, often by accident, disaster, or violence. Used in news, legal, or solemn contexts.

彼かれは交こう通つう事じ故こで横おう死しした。
He died a tragic death in a traffic accident.
戦せん争そうで

多おお

く

の

人ひと

が

横おう

死し

し

た

。

Many people met violent deaths in the war.

Kanji

横sideways, side, horizontal
死death, die

Similar words

事じ故こ死し
事故死 is a neutral, everyday term for accidental death, while 横死 carries a heavier, more tragic or literary nuance.
変へん死し
変死 means unnatural death in general, often implying suspicious circumstances; 横死 emphasizes the violent or tragic nature of the death.

Etymology

Compound of 横 (sideways, wrong, unjust) and 死 (death). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination conveys an untimely, unnatural death.