死にたい
shinitai
The Japanese phrase for "I wanna die" is 死にたい (shinitai).
死にたい is an expression used to say that one wishes to no longer be alive. While it can be used to express genuine suicidal ideation, it is also frequently used colloquially by young people to express extreme frustration, exhaustion or embarrassment.
How do you pronounce it?
shinitai
Did you know?
- In certain subcultures like 'Yami-kawaii' (sickly-cute) fashion, expressions of wanting to die are used as a stylized aesthetic to convey a sense of melancholic cuteness.
- The word 死 (shi), meaning 'death', is a homophone for the number 'four' in Japanese. Because of this, 'four' is considered highly unlucky and is often avoided in many contexts.
- The conjugation pattern in 死にたい comes from the verb stem plus the desiderative suffix たい, which can also be used to express intense craving for food or objects.
Examples in context
- もう死にたい。mou shinitai.I just want to die.
- 辛すぎて、死にたい。tsurasugite, shinitai.It's too painful, and I want to die.
- 失敗して、死にたい気持ちだ。shippai shite, shinitai kimochi da.I failed, and I feel like I want to die.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their extreme stress.
- 美咲 Misaki最近、本当に死にたいくらい辛いよ。saikin, hontou ni shinitai kurai tsurai yo.Lately, things have been so hard I feel like I want to die.
- 健太 Kentaそんなにひどい状況なの？sonna ni hidoi joukyou nano?Is the situation really that bad?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、もう全部投げ出して死にたい。un, mou zenbu nagedashite shinitai.Yeah, I just want to throw it all away and die.
- 健太 Kenta美咲、一人で抱え込まないで相談して。Misaki, hitori de kakaekomanaide soudan shite.Misaki, please don't keep it all inside and talk to me.
