Japanese symbol for “corpse”
遺体
いたい
Romaji: itai
(dead) body; corpse; remains
In Japanese, corpse is 遺体, read いたい (itai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n (dead) body; corpse; remains
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “corpse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 死体 | したい shitai | dead body; corpse; cadaver |
| 死人 | しにん shinin | corpse; dead person |
| 屍 | しかばね shikabane | corpse |
| 死骸 | しがい shigai | (dead) body; corpse; carcass |
| 躯 | むくろ mukuro | (dead) body; corpse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遺産 | いさん isan | inheritance; bequest; legacy |
| 遺跡 | いせき iseki | (archeological) remains; ruins; relics |
| 遺伝 | いでん iden | heredity; (genetic) inheritance |
| 遺伝子 | いでんし idenshi | gene |
| 遺言 | ゆいごん yuigon | will; testament; one's dying wish |
| 全体 | ぜんたい zentai | whole; entirety |
| 団体 | だんたい dantai | group; party; team |
| 体験 | たいけん taiken | (practical) experience; personal experience; hands-on experience |
See also: Chinese symbol for “corpse”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.