1.
remains; ashes of the deceased; cremated bones
The bones and ashes remaining after cremation, or the skeletal remains of a deceased person. In Japan, where cremation is nearly universal, this word most often refers to the cremated remains.
遺骨をお墓に納める。
To inter the remains in a grave.
遺骨は骨壺に入れて持ち帰った。
The remains were placed in an urn and brought home.
戦没者の遺骨収集が今も続いている。
The collection of war dead remains continues to this day.
In Japan, after cremation (火葬), family members pick up the 遺骨 with chopsticks (箸) in a ceremony called 骨上げ or 拾骨, placing them in a 骨壺 (urn). Common collocations: 遺骨を拾う (to pick up remains), 遺骨を納める (to inter remains), 遺骨収集 (collection of remains). Related terms: 遺灰 (ashes), 遺体 (corpse, body).