Translation guide
How to express narrowly avoiding death in Japanese, from literal survival to figurative close calls.
The speaker physically survived a life-threatening situation.
A direct and formal way to say 'escape death'. Suitable for serious contexts like accidents or illnesses.
彼は交通事故で死を免れた。
He escaped death in a traffic accident.
The speaker narrowly avoided a disaster or extremely dangerous situation, often used casually.
Literally 'to pick up one's life'. A common, slightly casual way to say you had a close brush with death. Can be used for both literal and figurative escapes.
あの時は本当に命拾いしたよ。
I really escaped death that time.
The speaker survived in a way that seems to defy fate, often with a nuance of trickery or luck.
Also used for 'cheating death' in a more formal or literary sense. Can imply a deliberate or fortunate avoidance.
彼は何度も死を免れてきた。
He has cheated death many times.
死を免れる is more formal and often used in writing or serious reports. 命拾いをする is conversational and can sound a bit lighter, suitable for personal anecdotes.
新聞は「彼は死を免れた」と報じた。
The newspaper reported that he escaped death.
昨日は本当に命拾いしたよ。
I really escaped death yesterday.
Directly translating 'escape' and 'death' as 死から逃げる is unnatural. Use the set phrases provided instead.
彼はその事故で九死に一生を得た。
He narrowly escaped death in the accident.
間一髪で死を免れた。
I escaped death by a hair's breadth.
Literally 'to keep one's life'. Emphasizes surviving against the odds, often used in news or formal narratives.
奇跡的に一命を取り留めた。
Miraculously, he escaped death.
An idiomatic expression meaning 'to have a narrow escape from death'. Literally 'to gain one life from nine deaths'. Used in dramatic or literary contexts.
九死に一生を得た思いだ。
I felt like I had escaped death by a hair's breadth.
Means 'to almost die'. Very direct and casual. Often used when recounting a dangerous experience.
溺れて死にかけた。
I almost drowned and escaped death.
A very common, casual phrase meaning 'That was close!' or 'I was almost in danger'. Implies a narrow escape from something bad, including death.
車にひかれそうになって、危ないところだった。
I was almost hit by a car—I escaped death.
Literally 'to outwit death'. A more colorful, literary expression for cheating death. Rare in everyday speech.
彼は死を出し抜いたかのようだ。
It's as if he cheated death.
死から逃げる
escape death (unnatural)
escape death (unnatural)