Details
Description
Death - ending, mortality, transformation.
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of bone and person. A person reduced to bones - the dead.
Symbolism
Death, end, impermanence. Japanese culture has aesthetics of 'falling' beautifully in death.
Spiritual Meaning
Represents end of body and souls departure, transition to next world in Japanese view of life and death.
Component Breakdown
Death/bone + spoon
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
一死報国
いっしほうこく
dying for one's country
起死回生
きしかいせい
revival from the brink of death; recovering from a hopeless situation; resuscitation
九死一生
きゅうしいっしょう
narrow escape from the jaw of death
酔生夢死
すいせいむし
idling one's life away; living to no purpose
半死半生
はんしはんしょう
all but dead; half killed
不老不死
ふろうふし
perpetual youth and longevity; immortality
死屍累々
ししるいるい
heaps of corpses all around
死中求活
しちゅうきゅうかつ
finding a way out of a potentially fatal situation; seeking a way out of a desperate situation
生死流転
しょうじるてん
all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration
生老病死
しょうろうびょうし
the four inevitables in human life (birth, aging, sickness, and death)
万死一生
ばんしいっしょう
advancing in the face of death; having a narrow escape from the jaw of death
大死一番
だいしいちばん
exerting oneself to the utmost, prepared to die if necessary
十死一生
じっしいっしょう
narrow escape from the jaws of death; there being barely a chance of escaping death
枯木死灰
こぼくしかい
withered trees and cold ash; someone who is detached and free of desires; someone who has no vitality
多産多死
たさんたし
high birth rate and high mortality rate
少産少死
しょうさんしょうし
low birth rate and low mortality rate
生死一如
しょうじいちにょ
Life and death are one; Life and death are fundamentally the same
Proverbs & Idioms
死せる孔明、生ける仲達を走らす
しせるこうめい、いけるちゅうたつをはしらす
Dead Kongming makes living Zhongda flee
Even after death, a great person's influence continues
死人に口なし
しにんにくちなし
Dead men tell no tales
The dead cannot speak to defend themselves
Anime & Manga
DEATH NOTE
Death Note
Suspense about a notebook that kills those whose names are written
BLEACH
Bleach
Depicts shinigami and afterlife 'Soul Society'
進撃の巨人
Attack on Titan
Dark fantasy depicting battles alongside death
呪術廻戦 死滅回游 前編
JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1
A well-known work with 死 in its Japanese title.
光が死んだ夏
The Summer Hikaru Died
A well-known work with 死 in its Japanese title.
Games
ダークソウル
Dark Souls(2011)
Iconic 'die and retry' game where death is part of gameplay
View on Amazon →エルデンリング
Elden Ring(2022)
FromSoftware's latest where you grow through repeated deaths
View on Amazon →Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 死 mean in Japanese?
死 means death, die. Death - ending, mortality, transformation.
How do you read 死?
On'yomi: シ (SHI). Kun'yomi: し.ぬ、し.に- (shinu, shini).
How many strokes does 死 have?
死 has 6 strokes. Its radical is 歹 (death).
Is 死 a good kanji for a tattoo?
死 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means death, die. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.