Death in Japanese: shi, explained with its related expressions

How to say “death” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “shi”. It is the Japanese word for ‘death’. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word and how to use it through an example sentence. And also, I will explain its related expressions. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shi”
  • Example #1: how to say “death” in Japanese
• Grim reaper in Japanese: shinigami
  • Example #2: how to use “shinigami”
• Afterlife in Japanese: shigo
  • Example #3: how to say “afterlife” in Japanese
• Dead person in Japanese: shisha
  • Example #4: how to say “dead person” in Japanese
• Summary: “death” in Japanese

Definition and meaning of “shi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shi”.

• shi – 死 (し) : a noun meaning ‘death’ in Japanese.

Japanese people use this word to mean the end of the life of a person, animal, or such. Its usage is very close to that of “death” in English.

Example #1: how to say “death” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to make the subject in the sentence.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “kare no shi”, to make the object in the sentence.
• wasure – 忘れ (わすれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “wasureru”, which means ‘to forget’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• rare – られ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “rareru”, which is used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “wasure”, to add the meaning of ‘can’.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to deny its meaning. In the example, it is put after the verb phrase, “wasure rare”, to deny its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “shi”. In this example, it is used after the possessive case word, “kare no”. The formed phrase has been translated as “his death”. When we want to mean the end of the life of someone in Japanese, “shi” would be the best choice in most cases.

In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain some words which contain “shi”.

Grim reaper in Japanese: shinigami

Below are the definition and meanings of “shinigami”.

• shinigami – 死神 (しにがみ) : a noun meaning ‘grim reaper’ or ‘death’ in Japanese.

The second kanji character, “神“, is widely used to mean ‘god’ in Japanese. So, this word literally means ‘death god’ or ‘god of death’. Yet, the visual it invokes is quite similar to the appearance of the grim reaper in the western culture.

In this case, “死” is pronounced “shini” instead. Its pronunciation can vary depending on the word used together.

Then, let me explain how to use “shinigami” through the example sentence.

Example #2: how to use “shinigami”

Below are the new words and particle used in the example.

• wo – を : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the noun, “shinigami”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its past tense form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “mi”, to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.

This is a typical usage of “shinigami”. When we want to say ‘grim reaper’ in Japanese, it would be the best word.

Afterlife in Japanese: shigo

Then, let me explain the next word, “shigo”.

• shigo – 死後 (しご) : a noun meaning ‘afterlife’ in Japanese.

The second kanji character, “後”, is widely used like a suffix to add the meaning of ‘after’. So, this word literally means ‘after death’ in Japanese. It can be interpreted as ‘afterlife’ in English, I think.

Let me explain how to use this word through the example sentence.

Example #3: how to say “afterlife” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaing of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In the example, it is used to limit the meaning of “sekai” with the meaning of “shigo”. The formed phrase, “shigo no sekai”, can literally be translated as ‘the world of the afterlife’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of “no” is quite similar to that of the English preposition, “of”. In reality, the phrase has been translated simply as ‘the afterlife’, though.
• sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ in Japanese.
• shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of the verb, “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shinji”, to make its te form, “shinji te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, it is put after the te-formed verb, “shinji te”, to express the continuity of the action, ‘to believe’.

This is a typical usage of “shigo”. In this example, it is used as a part of the idiomatic expression, “shigo no sekai”, which literally means ‘the world of the afterlife’ in Japanese. This expression is widely used, but just “shigo” is understandable in many cases.

Dead person in Japanese: shisha

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “shisha”.

• shisha – 死者 (ししゃ) : a noun meaning ‘dead person’. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘dead persons’. Learn more about Japanese plural.

The second kanji character, “者”, is often used like a suffix to add the meaning of ‘person’. So, this word literally means ‘death person’ in Japanese. It can be understood as ‘dead person’, I think. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “dead person” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example.

• yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese.
• de – で : a case particle used to indicate a particular place where something happens. In the example, it is put after the noun, “yume”, to indicate the particular place where “kanojo” met “shisha”.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate an object to which an action is directed. In the example, it is put after the noun, “shisha”, to indicate the object to which the action, ‘to meet’, is directed.
• at – 会っ (あっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “au”, which means ‘to see’ or ‘to meet’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of “shisha”. When we want to say “dead person” in Japanese, it would be the best choice in most cases.

Summary: “death” in Japanese

In this blog post, I’ve explained the Japanese word for ‘death’ and how to use it through the example sentence. And also, I’ve explained its related words. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shi – 死 (し) : a noun meaning ‘death’ in Japanese. Japanese people use this word to mean the end of the life of a person, animal, or such. Its usage is very close to that of “death” in English.
• shinigami – 死神 (しにがみ) : a noun meaning ‘grim reaper’ or ‘death’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘death god’ or ‘god of death’.
• shigo – 死後 (しご) : a noun meaning ‘afterlife’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘after death’ in Japanese.
• shigo no sekai – 死後の世界 (しごのせかい) : a Japanese expression for ‘the world of the afterlife’.
• shisha – 死者 (ししゃ) : a noun meaning ‘dead person’. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘dead persons’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘dead person’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.