What does it mean word for word?
The word 死亡 is composed of the character 死 (sei2), meaning 'to die' and the character 亡 (mong4), meaning 'to perish' or 'to pass away'.
Which one should you use?
死亡 is a neutral, formal noun, whereas the single character 死 is used more colloquially in casual speech as both a verb and a noun. If you want to refer specifically to the act of losing one's life in a formal manner, you can use 喪生. For an informal or colloquial way to describe the act of dying, specifically stopping breathing, you can use 斷氣.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
死亡 is a neutral term suitable for both written and spoken Cantonese. In polite social contexts, especially when referring to a person's death, the euphemism 去世 (passed away) is much more common and respectful than the more clinical 死亡. In very casual speech, the single character 死 is frequently used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, the poetic expression 上西天 (to ascend to the Western Heaven) is used to refer to death.
How do you pronounce it?
sei² mong⁴
Did you know?
- The number four is avoided in many Cantonese-speaking areas because its pronunciation is very similar to the word 死 for 'death'.
- In some Cantonese contexts, certain ways of speaking about death are avoided entirely to prevent 'calling' bad luck to oneself, a concept known as avoiding 'unlucky words'.
- In casual Cantonese speech, 死 is frequently used as an intensifier in phrases like 死貴 (deadly expensive) to mean 'extremely'.
Examples in context
- 當你同死亡只不過係一線之隔，但係你又知道佢掂唔到你，你會有一種好特別嘅感覺！When you stand so close to death, knowing that it will not touch you, you feel something special!This sentence illustrates the feeling of being close to 死亡.Tatoeba #5795368 by nickyeow, translation #1658554 by dimitris
- 喺神面前，我當你係我嘅丈夫。我向你承諾會喺好同壞嘅日子，無論係病定健康，都會忠於你，直到死亡將我哋分開。我想喺我生命中嘅所有日子都愛、珍惜同敬重你。戴呢隻戒指，係我哋愛同忠誠嘅象徵：以父子同聖靈嘅名義。Before the face of God I take you as my husband. I promise faithfulness to you for better and worse days, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. I want to love, cherish and honor you all the days of my life. Wear this ring as a sign of our love and faithfulness: In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.This sentence uses 死亡 within the context of marriage vows.Tatoeba #13166735 by Davidgo5867, translation #7429211 by Babilfrenzo
- 佢斷氣嘅消息好令人傷心。The news of his death is heartbreaking.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jun Kit and Mei Ling are discussing a documentary about nature.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit呢個紀錄片講緊生命同死亡。ni1 go3 gイク luk6 pin2 gong2 ting1 sang1 ming6 tung4 si2 mong4.This documentary is talking about life and death.
- 美玲 Mei Ling係呀，睇完之後我覺得好感觸。hai6 aa3, tai2 jyun4 zi1 hau6 ngo5 gok3 dak1 hou2 gam2 cuk1.Yes, I felt very moved after watching it.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit死亡係人生中不可避免嘅一部分。si2 mong4 hai6 jan4 sang1 zung1 bat1 fo2 bei6 min6 ge3 jat1 bou3 fan6.Death is an inevitable part of life.
- 美玲 Mei Ling所以我哋更要珍惜而家嘅時間。so2 ji4 ngo5 dei6 gang3 jiu3 zan1 sik1 ji4 ga2 ge3 si4 gaan3.That's why we should cherish our time now even more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “death” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
