死に神

死に神

Japanese

Kanji in this term
死	神
し Grade: 3	かみ > がみ Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
死に神 (kyūjitai) 死神

Etymology

First attested in the mid-Edo period, cited to a text in 1709.[1]

Compound of 死に (shini, “dying”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 死ぬ (shinu), “to die”) +‎ 神 (kami, “god, spirit”).[1][2] The kami changes to gami as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しにがみ [shìnígámí] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕiɲ̟iɡa̠mʲi]

Noun

死(し)に神(がみ) • (shinigami) 

1. a god or spirit who leads humans toward their death
2. (tarot) Death

Descendants

• English: shinigami

See also

• 死(し)魔(ま) (shima)
• 閻(えん)魔(ま) (Enma)

Proper noun

死(し)に神(がみ) • (Shinigami) 

1. the Grim Reaper (personification of death)
2. a rakugo loosely based on the opera Crispino e la comare and revolves around an impoverished man meeting a shinigami

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN