死 — “to die / death” in Japanese

Grade 3し, し

Radical ⽍ · radical 78 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to die / death” in Japanese is 死, read shi (し, し). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 死ぬ (to die).

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What does 死 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	死
Meaning	to die / death
Readings	し, し
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	死ぬ (to die)

How to read 死

死 is read shi (し) or shi (し) depending on the word.

Words with 死

必死ひっし
死ぬto die / death
死亡
餓死
死骸
溺死

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Read this character in a real sentence

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Updated: 2026-08-28