noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
risking one's life; all-out effort; desperate act
Describes a situation or action where one throws caution away and commits fully, often with a sense of desperation or self-sacrifice. Commonly used in phrases like 捨て身の覚悟 or 捨て身の攻撃.
彼は捨て身の覚悟で火の中に飛び込んだ。
He jumped into the fire with the resolve to risk his life.
捨て身のタックルで相手を止めた。
He stopped the opponent with a desperate tackle.
必死 means 'frantic' or 'desperate' in a general sense, while 捨て身 emphasizes a conscious disregard for one's own safety or well-being.
決死 also means 'prepared for death', but is more formal and often used in compounds like 決死隊 (suicide squad). 捨て身 is more colloquial and can be used for non-lethal all-out efforts.
Compound of 捨て (stem of 捨てる, 'to throw away') and 身 ('body, self'). Literally 'throwing away one's body', it came to mean risking everything or acting with reckless abandon.