命 懸(いのちが)け

いのちがけ

noun

risking one's life, desperate, life-or-death

1. risking one's life, life-or-death, desperate

Putting one's life on the line; doing something with total commitment as if one's life depended on it. Used both literally and figuratively.

命懸(いのちが)けで逃(に)げた。

I fled for my life.

消防士(しょうぼうし)たちは命懸(いのちが)けで救助(きゅうじょ)に当(あ)たった。

The firefighters risked their lives in the rescue operation.

彼(かれ)は命懸(いのちが)けの覚悟(かくご)で試合(しあい)に臨(のぞ)んだ。

He entered the match with life-or-death determination.

Functions as a noun that modifies other nouns with の, or directly modifies verbs as an adverb (e.g., 命懸(いのちが)けで戦(たたか)う). Also written as 命(いのち)がけ in hiragana for the second part.

Common collocations

命懸(いのちが)けで守(まも)る — to protect at the risk of one's life
命懸(いのちが)けの戦(たたか)い — a life-or-death battle
命懸(いのちが)けの覚悟(かくご) — life-or-death resolve
命懸(いのちが)けで逃(に)げる — to flee for one's life

Similar words

必死(ひっし) — desperate, frantic (more common in everyday use)
決死(けっし) — do-or-die (literary, often used with 覚悟(かくご))

Related Words

Compare: 必死(ひっし) (desperate, frantic)

general

Added 2026.2.18 22:39 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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