死ぬ
shinu[ɕinɯ̟]
In Japanese, "I will die" is expressed using the verb 死ぬ (shinu).
The verb 死ぬ is a neutral and direct way to say "to die." It can be used to refer to both humans and animals.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 死ぬ is casual or is often found in literature. For polite settings or when speaking to superiors, you should use the polite form 死にます.
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form 死ぬ is used to express both the present tense and the future tense. To express the past tense "died," the final vowel is changed to "a," resulting in 死んだ.
How do you pronounce it?
shinu
Did you know?
- In modern casual speech, 死ぬ is often used as a hyperbolic expression for extreme exhaustion, hunger, or boredom, similar to saying 'I'm dying' in English.
- The verb 死ぬ (shinu) was historically considered so similar to the auxiliary verb ぬ (nu), which indicates a spontaneous or non-intentional action, that they were treated as one.
- While 死ぬ is a direct way to state that one will die, using it in certain social contexts can feel unnecessarily blunt or even insensitive compared to euphemisms.
Examples in context
- 俺が死ぬわけないだろ？Why do you think I will die?This sentence is useful for expressing the idea of why someone would think the speaker will die using 死ぬ.Tatoeba #10987933 by small_snow, translation #10989111 by DJ_Saidez
- いつかは死ぬが、いつ死ぬかは分からない。Someday, I will die, but I do not know when that day will be.This sentence is useful for expressing the inevitability of death using 死ぬ.Tatoeba #10762885 by small_snow, translation #10766754 by end
- 人はいつか必ず死ぬ。Hito wa itsuka kanarazu shinu.People will certainly die someday.
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are discussing a scary movie.
- 美咲 Misakiこの映画の主人公は死ぬかな？Kono eiga no shujinkō wa shinu kana?I wonder if the main character in this movie will die?
- 大翔 Hirotoたぶん死ぬと思うよ。Tabun shinu to omou yo.I think they probably will die.
- 美咲 Misakiそんなの悲しすぎるよ。Sonna no kanashisugiru yo.That would be too sad.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれがホラー映画だからね。Sore ga horā eiga dakara ne.Well, that's why it's a horror movie.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 死ぬ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 死ぬ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
