Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 の 身み 代が わりになる to become a substitute/scapegoat for someone
He took the blame in his friend's place.
身み 代が わりを 立た てる to put up a stand-in or decoy
The criminal set up a decoy and fled.
身み 代が わりに 死し ぬ to die in someone's place
The soldier died in his comrade's place.
Kanji 身 somebody, person, one's station in life 代 substitute, change, convert 替 exchange, spare, substitute Related words· 6 代わり is broader and neutral, meaning any replacement or substitute action, while 身代わり specifically implies taking someone else's place in danger, punishment, or blame.
代理 is a formal, administrative term for acting on someone's behalf as a representative, whereas 身代わり implies suffering or sacrificing oneself in another's place.
犠牲 emphasizes the loss or cost of a sacrifice itself, while 身代わり emphasizes physically taking someone else's place in danger or punishment.
影武者 is a body double who impersonates someone's appearance for protection or deception, while 身代わり is the broader idea of anyone standing in for another in danger or blame.
Show 2 more Show fewer 身代わり is someone who takes another's place, often to protect or shield them, whereas 替え玉 can also refer to an object and often carries a fraudulent nuance.
身代わり is someone who takes another's place or punishment as a stand-in, whereas スケープゴート specifically means a person blamed for others' faults.
Don't confuse with 替え玉 usually means a fraudulent impostor, such as someone secretly taking a test for another, whereas 身代わり can be sympathetic or self-sacrificing rather than deceitful.
身代金 shares the kanji 身代 but means 'ransom money,' a completely different concept from 身代わり , a person or thing that takes another's place.
Written forms 身み 代が わり Usage 78%
Standard modern spelling; this is the prioritized form.
身み 代がわ り Usage 11%
Variant okurigana spelling with 代り instead of 代わり .
身み 替がわ り Usage 7%
Less common variant combining 替 with the shorter okurigana spelling.
身み 替が わり Usage 4%
Less common kanji variant using 替 for the replacement element.
Etymology A compound of 身 , meaning one's body or person, and 代わり , meaning replacement or taking the place of something; literally, a person or body put in another's place.
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