亡くなった
nakunatta
The Japanese phrase for "died" is 亡くなった (nakunatta).
亡くなった is a polite way to say that someone has passed away.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
亡くなった is a polite expression. For even greater deference and respect toward someone who has passed away, the honorific expression お亡くなりになる is used. In contrast, 死ぬ is a straightforward, informal term for "to die."
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 亡くなった is the past tense of the intransitive verb 亡くなる.
How do you pronounce it?
nakunatta
Did you know?
- When talking about the death of a high-ranking official or a member of the Imperial family, the specialized term 崩御される is used instead of 亡くなった.
- In Japanese culture, when someone has passed away, people often use the term 旅立つ meaning 'to set off on a journey' to soften the blow of the news.
- The verb 亡くなる is actually a combination of the kanji for 'lost' or 'perished' and the verb 'to become'.
Examples in context
- 次々に亡くなった。They died one after the other.This sentence is useful for showing a sequence of deaths using 亡くなった.Tatoeba #11559639 by small_snow, translation #4973616 by AlanF_US
- 最近彼が亡くなった。He died recently.This sentence is useful for mentioning a recent death using 亡くなった.Tatoeba #170604 by bunbuku, translation #993268 by CK
- 父は４９歳で亡くなった。My father died at the age of forty-nine.This sentence is useful for stating the age at which someone passed away using 亡くなった.Tatoeba #84771 by bunbuku, translation #318943 by CK
- 生年月日不明ですが、2010年に亡くなられたと思われます。Their date of birth is unknown, but it is believed they passed away in 2010.
- 昨日、お亡くなりになられた故山田さんの告別式が行われました。Yesterday, the funeral service for the late Mr./Mrs. Yamada, who passed away, was held.
- イヌちゃんは昨日死んじゃったんだよ。Inu-chan passed away yesterday.
- 彼は静かに逝ったんだ。He passed away peacefully.
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking about a former teacher.
- 美咲 Misaki先生が亡くなったと聞きました。Sensei ga nakunatta to kikimashita.I heard that the teacher passed away.
- 大翔 Hirotoえっ、本当ですか。びっくりしました。E, hontō desu ka. Bikkuri shimashita.What, really? I'm shocked.
- 美咲 Misakiはい、先週亡くなったそうです。Hai, senshū nakunatta sō desu.Yes, I heard they passed away last week.
- 大翔 Hirotoとても悲しいニュースですね。Totemo kanashii nyūsu desu ne.That is very sad news.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
