Japanese Conversation · Level 49
90 words
Japanese word
亡くなる
Pronunciation
Romajinakunaru
Meaning
- verbpass away
Example
祖父は昨年亡くなりました。so fu wa saku nen na ku na ri ma shi ta
My grandfather passed away last year.
More examples
祖母が亡くなったあと、家族で写真を整理しました。so bo ga na ku na tta a to ka zoku de sha shin o sei ri shi ma shi ta
After my grandmother passed away, our family sorted through her photographs.
Core concept
Expresses that someone has died without stating the fact as directly as the verb "to die."
Common phrases
病気で亡くなるbyō ki de na ku na ru
pass away from an illness
亡くなる前にna ku na ru mae ni
before passing away
亡くなった方na ku na tta hō
the person who passed away
Similar words
死ぬshinu: To die, stated in a direct and plain way.
Definition in Japanese
人が死んだことを、やわらかく表現する。hito ga shi n da ko to o ya wa ra ka ku hyō gen su ru
Word origin
亡くなる (nakunaru) combines 亡く (naku, "being gone") with なる (naru, "to become"), expressing the idea of becoming gone and thus referring indirectly to death.
Usage tips
- When discussing a person's death, 亡くなる (nakunaru) is commonly used as a considerate alternative to the more direct 死ぬ (shinu).