亡くなった
nakunatta
The Japanese phrase for "passed away" is 亡くなった (nakunatta).
亡くなった is a common, polite expression used to say that someone has died. It serves as a euphemism to avoid the bluntness of more direct terms.
Which one should you use?
While 亡くなった is a polite way to say someone has passed away, the term 死んだ is the blunt and direct way to say "died", which can sound insensitive in many social contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
亡くなった is a common formal expression. For even higher levels of respect, such as in obituaries or when speaking about someone of higher status, you might see ご逝去になる or ご逝去された. Another formal expression with a serene connotation used in funeral ceremonies or condolence messages is 永眠する.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 亡くなった is the plain form.
How do you pronounce it?
nakunatta
Did you know?
- Using the blunt 死んだ (died) for a person can be considered as much more offensive in Japanese than it is in English, as it can sound like one is talking about an animal.
- In traditional Buddhist contexts, death is often described as 往生 meaning 'to be born into the Pure Land', focusing on the destination rather than the loss.
- The kanji used in 亡くなった originally depicted a person fleeing or disappearing, rather than the biological act of dying.
Examples in context
- 父は２年前に亡くなった。My father passed away two years ago.This sentence is useful for mentioning when a father passed away.Tatoeba #84774 by bunbuku, translation #318940 by CK
- 彼の兄は先月亡くなった。His brother passed away last month.This sentence is useful for mentioning when a brother passed away.Tatoeba #117739 by small_snow, translation #285285 by CK
- 彼は全く突然に亡くなった。He passed away quite suddenly.This sentence is useful for describing how someone passed away suddenly.Tatoeba #101568 by bunbuku, translation #302125 by CK
- 彼女は昨日亡くなりました。She passed away yesterday.
- 吉田さんがご逝去になりました。Mr./Mrs. Yoshida has passed away.
- おばあちゃんが永眠しました。Grandma has peacefully passed away.
- おじいちゃんが亡くなっちゃった。Grandpa passed away.
- 祖母は先月逝ったんだ。Grandma passed away last month.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is talking to Hiroto about his grandmother.
- 大翔 Hiroto実は、祖母が最近亡くなったんだ。Jitsu wa, sobo ga saikin nakunatta n da.Actually, my grandmother passed away recently.
- 結衣 Yuiえっ、本当？それは大変だったね。E, hontou? Sore wa taihen datta ne.Oh, really? I'm so sorry to hear that.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。穏やかに亡くなったよ。Arigatou. Odayaka ni nakunatta yo.Thank you. She passed away peacefully.
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね。ゆっくり休んでほしいね。Sou da ne. Yukkuri yasunde hoshii ne.I agree. I hope she can rest in peace.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
