死ぬ
Reading: しぬ
Meaning: to die, to pass away
Listen to pronunciation
Example Sentence
祖父 は 去年 病気 で 死んだ
My grandfather passed away from illness last year.
Usage Notes
死ぬ means 'to die' and is the standard verb for death. It's a ナ行 irregular verb (死ぬ、死なない、死んだ). Can be used literally (病気で死ぬ = 'die from illness') or figuratively (恥ずかしくて死にそう = 'I'm so embarrassed I could die'). More polite expressions include 亡くなる.
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