遺骨
Meanings
cremated remains; ashes; bones
Primarily refers to the bone fragments collected after cremation, but can also refer to the ashes in general. Common in funeral and memorial contexts.
We placed my grandmother's cremated remains in the grave.
Picking up the bones after cremation was a painful experience.
remains of war dead
Used specifically for the remains of soldiers or civilians who died in war, often in the context of recovery and repatriation.
The remains of the war dead were returned to their hometown.
Usage patterns
- 〈場所〉から〈人〉の遺骨を収集するto collect the remains of someone from a place (esp. war dead)
Efforts to collect the remains of war dead from former battlefields continue.
- 遺骨を持ち帰るto bring someone's remains back home
The family brought their father's remains back home.
- 遺骨を〈場所〉に納めるto lay someone's remains to rest in a place (e.g. grave)
We laid my grandmother's remains to rest in the family grave.
- 遺骨が見つかるfor someone's remains to be found
The remains of the missing person were found in the mountains.