The Meaning of shitai [死体] In Japanese

死体
したい
Romaji: shitai N3

What does 死体 mean?

Translation and Meaning

dead body, corpse

Definition

死体 (shitai) means the physical body of a person after death; it refers to the corpse itself as a tangible object rather than a living person and is commonly translated as “corpse” or “dead body.”

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. A body examined or handled as an object in legal or forensic contexts (subject of autopsy or evidence).
  • 2. In some contexts it can denote nonhuman remains, though other terms are more typical for animals.
  • 3. A term frequently used in crime fiction, horror, and reporting to denote discovered remains or a murder victim.

Origin

The characters are borrowed from classical Chinese writing; the concept of naming and categorizing human remains existed throughout Japan’s history alongside Buddhist and Shinto funerary practices, with more formal legal classifications and forensic terminology becoming standardized in the modern Meiji-era legal and medical systems.

Composition

  • 死 (shi) — death; to die.
  • 体 (tai) — body; physical form.
  • Together the first character (death) modifies the second (body) to produce the compound meaning ‘dead body’ or ‘corpse’.

Usage

Used as a concrete noun in statements about death, discovery, transport, or examination of a body; grammatically it behaves like any Japanese noun (takes particles such as が/を) and appears in reports, investigations, medical descriptions, and genre fiction; in everyday conversation it can sound blunt or harsh, so speakers often avoid it when speaking about someone known personally.
💡 Tips
Remember: 死 (shi) appears in many death-related words; attach 体 (tai) ‘body’ and you get 死体 (shitai) — “dead body.”

Variations

  • 遺体 (itai) — remains of a deceased person, often more formal or respectful in legal/ceremonial contexts
  • 死骸 (shigai) — carcass/remains, commonly used for animals or to emphasize physical remains
  • 亡骸 (nakigara) — literary/poetic term for the deceased’s remains
  • 生体 (seitai) — living body (antonym)
死体