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亡骸 (なきがら) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
remains ; corpse ; dead body
A somewhat formal or literary term for a dead body, often used in solemn or respectful contexts. More common in written Japanese than in casual speech.
彼かれ
は
父ちち
親おや
の
亡骸なきがら
を
前まえ
に
し
て
、
ただ
立た
ち
尽つ
くし
て
い
た
。
He just stood there in front of his father's remains.
Written forms 亡骸なきがら Usage 73%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
なきがら Usage 26%
Kana spelling; used for clarity or in contexts where kanji might be avoided.
亡なき がら Usage 1%
亡な き 骸がら
Alternate spelling with okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Kanji 亡 deceased, the late, dying Similar words 死し 体たい 死体 is the general, neutral word for a dead body, while 亡骸 carries a more solemn or literary tone.
遺い 体たい 遺体 is a respectful term for a deceased person's body, often used in formal or official contexts, similar to 亡骸 but slightly more common in modern news.
Etymology Compound of 亡き (naki, 'dead', archaic attributive form of 亡し) + 骸 (gara, 'body, remains'). The reading がら is a rendaku form of から.
