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
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.
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