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Hiding from Japanese Ghosts

The Language of Death

7/6/2016

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Known for an apprehensiveness towards mentioning death, Japan's use of language is similarly fluid to Western culture in the way that it softens when addressing difficult topics - particularly the loss of life. 
'死/し' is the well-known written form of 'death' to the point people will avoid uttering words with similar sounds (such as 'four/四/し'). 
The following words mean 'death', but are used in different circumstances to soften the impact of the topic.
死にました (しにました)
The direct and most commonly understood word for 'death'; often used coldly or without emotion about anything which has died. It can be a statement of not feeling warmth or a connection to the death, or may be used directly to offend.
Example: A man died here last year. 昨年に、男がここに死にました。
死亡した (しぼうした)
​A softer meaning of death to express a fact or statement. Most commonly used in news reports on television and in written text, this term signifies the sorrowful loss of someone distant or unknown.
Example: Five people died in a car accident. 5人が交通事故で死亡しました。
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A news report about a man in his forties or fifties who died in a glider accident.
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During Obon, conversations about death are more common as ancestors return to the living. 
www.yasiro.co.jp

亡くなりました (なくなりました)
Most often used in everyday circumstances, the meaning is similar to 'pass on / passed away'. While traditionally reserved as a polite expression to state someone has died, it is generally used for people or animals which the speaker considered dear.
Example: My grandmother passed away yesterday. 昨日、私のお祖母ちゃんが亡くなりました。
To avoid seeming cold-hearted or cruel, '亡くなりました' is the safest phrase to use in conversation. 
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