Japanese symbol for “death”

死亡

しぼう

Romaji: shibou

death; dying; mortality

In Japanese, death is 死亡, read しぼう (shibou).

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, vi, vs death; dying; mortality

Written forms: 死亡、ﾀﾋ亡. Readings: しぼう.

Kanji and stroke order

死

death, die

on: シ
kun: し.ぬ、し.に-

6 strokes · JLPT 3

亡

deceased, the late, dying

on: ボウ、モウ
kun: な.い、な.き-、ほろ.びる、ほろ.ぶ

3 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “death”

Word	Reading	Meaning
死	し shi	death
死去	しきょ shikyo	death; decease; passing away
没	ぼつ botsu	death
逝去	せいきょ seikyo	death; passing
不幸	ふこう fukou	death (usu. of a relative); bereavement

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
必死	ひっし hisshi	frantic; frenetic; desperate
死刑	しけい shikei	death penalty; capital punishment
死者	ししゃ shisha	dead person; (the) deceased; (the) dead
死体	したい shitai	dead body; corpse; cadaver
死去	しきょ shikyo	death; decease; passing away
亡命	ぼうめい boumei	fleeing from one's country; seeking asylum; defection
滅亡	めつぼう metsubou	downfall; ruin; collapse
逃亡	とうぼう toubou	escape; flight; running away

See also: Chinese symbol for “death”.

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.