How to Say "Black Death" in Japanese

黒死病

kokushibyō[ko̞kɯ̟ɕibʲo̞ː]

The English phrase 'black death' is translated into Japanese as 黒死病 (kokushibyō).

黒死病 is used to refer to the 14th-century pandemic outbreak known as the Black Death.

Meaning: 14th century pandemic outbreak (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The term is composed of 黒 (black), 死 (death) and 病 (disease/illness), literally meaning 'black death disease'.

kokushibyō

While 黒死病 is the literal translation, Japanese people often refer to the plague as ペスト (pesuto), which is a phonetic loanword from the German 'Pest'.
The character 死 (death) in 黒死病 is read as し (shi), which is a homophone for the number four, a number associated with death and bad luck in Japanese culture.
The character 病 in 黒死病 is also the same character used in the word 病院 (byōin), which means 'hospital'.

黒死病は歴史的に非常に恐ろしい病気です。
kokushibyou wa rekishiteki ni hijou ni osoroshii byouki desu.
The black death is historically a very terrifying disease.
黒死病の影響で人口が激減しました。
kokushibyou no eikyou de jinkou ga gekigen shimashita.
The population decreased drastically due to the black death.

Two students are discussing a history topic in the library.

陽葵 Himari

歴史の授業で黒死病について習いました。
rekishi no jugyou de kokushibyou ni tsuite naraimashita.
I learned about the black death in history class.
大翔 Hiroto

あのパンデミックは本当に残酷でしたね。
ano pandemikku wa hontou ni zankoku deshita ne.
That pandemic was truly cruel, wasn't it?
陽葵 Himari

はい、大翔くんも覚えていますか？
hai, hiroto-kun mo oboete imasu ka?
Yes, do you remember it too, Hiroto?
大翔 Hiroto

もちろんです、とても印象的でした。
mochiron desu, totemo inshouteki deshita.
Of course, it was very memorable.

Sources

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