1.
to pass away; to die (euphemism)
A gentle, literary euphemism for dying. Literally means 'to become fleeting/ephemeral,' evoking the Buddhist sense of life's transience. Used when speaking respectfully or poetically about someone's death.
From the adjective はかない (fleeting, transient, ephemeral) in its ku-form + なる (to become). The expression encapsulates a deeply Japanese sensibility about mortality — life is fleeting, and death is a natural return to impermanence.
This is one of many Japanese euphemisms for death, reflecting the cultural tendency to speak about death indirectly. It is more literary and poetic than 亡くなる, which is the standard polite word for dying.
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Literary and poetic. Used in written prose, obituaries, speeches, and formal settings. In everyday speech, 亡くなる is far more common.
Similar words
- 亡くなる: to pass away — the standard polite euphemism for death
- 死ぬ: to die — direct and blunt; avoided when speaking about people respectfully
- 逝く: to pass on — literary, gentle euphemism
- 他界する: to depart this world — formal, used in obituaries
- 永眠する: to enter eternal sleep — very formal, found in written notices