What does “shinigami” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “shinigami” to mean ‘Grim Reaper’, ‘god of death’, or just ‘death’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “shinigami” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “shinigami”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “shinigami”.
- shinigami – 死神 (しにがみ) : a noun meaning ‘Grim Reaper’, ‘god of death’, or just ‘death’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Normally, Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to human-shaped creatures which end people’s lives. The creatures do not necessarily have the same appearances as the western Grim Reaper does, but their roles are quite similar.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Shinigami in kanji
The kanji expression of “shinigami” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 死 : a kanji character used to mean ‘death’ in Japanese.
- 神 : a kanji character used to mean ‘god’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “shinigami” literally means a ‘death god’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings. The creatures called shinigami often have godlike powers to end people’s lives.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shinigami” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shinigami” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “Grim Reaper” in Japanese
boku wa yume de shinigami wo mi ta – 僕は夢で死神を見た (ぼくはゆめでしにがみをみた)
I saw the Grim Reaper in my dream.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- yume – 夢 (ゆめ) : a noun meaning ‘dream’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “yume” to say where the speaker saw “shinigami”.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shinigami” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “shinigami”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to become the object in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “shinigami”
watashi wa shinigami to ai taku nai – 私は死神と会いたくない (わたしはしにがみとあいたくない)
I do not want to meet the Grim Reaper.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “shinigami” to say whom the speaker does not want to meet.
- ai – 会い (あい) : one conjugation of the verb, “au”, which means ‘to meet’ or ‘to see’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- taku – たく : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “tai”, which is used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “ai” to mean ‘to want to meet’ in Japanese.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, this is used after “ai taku” to deny its meaning, ‘to want to meet’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.
This is another typical usage of “shinigami”. When we want to refer to human-shaped creatures which end people’s lives in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shinigami” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shinigami – 死神 (しにがみ) : a noun meaning ‘Grim Reaper’, ‘god of death’, or just ‘death’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Normally, Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to human-shaped creatures which end people’s lives. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘death god’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings, I think. The creatures called shinigami often have godlike powers to end people’s lives.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
