死
死 — Death
death, die
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiしぬ (shinu)
Kun’yomiしに- (shini)
Stroke order (6 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 死
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 死 | し shi | death; (an) out; death penalty (by strangulation or decapitation; most severe of the five ritsuryō punishments) |
| 死者 | ししゃ shisha | dead person; (the) deceased; (the) dead |
| 脳死 | のうし noushi | brain death |
| 死亡 | しぼう shibou | death; dying; mortality |
| 二死 | にし nishi | two out; two down (and one to go) |
| 死去 | しきょ shikyo | death; decease; passing away |
Study notes
死 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #229 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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