How to say "corpse" in Japanese

• 躯むくろCommon
  nounRefers to a dead body with a sense of it being mere remains, often lifeless or discarded. It carries a poetic or somber tone, so it is rarely the neutral everyday word for a corpse.
• 死人しにんCommon
  nounCovers both 'corpse' and 'dead person', so it centers on the deceased as a person rather than the body itself. It can sound blunt or bluntly colloquial where a more respectful term is preferred.
  久夫ひさおは死人しにんのように青あおざめた顔色かおいろをしていた。↗

  Hisao's face was as pale as that of a corpse.
• 屍しかばねCommon
  nounA literary word meaning exactly 'corpse', used in written language and dramatic or figurative contexts rather than in ordinary talk about a death.
• 死体したいJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounThe most general and neutral word for a dead body, covering corpses, cadavers, and even animal carcasses. Use it whenever you simply mean 'a corpse' with no special nuance.
  死体したい解剖かいぼうの結果けっか、絞殺こうさつと判明はんめいしました。↗

  The postmortem showed that she had been strangled.
• 遺体いたいCommon
  nounRefers to the remains of a deceased person with respectful, respectful-formal nuance, as handled by family, police, or funeral staff. This is the natural word when speaking of someone's body after death with consideration.
  その遺体いたいの身元みもとは頬ほおのほくろで確認かくにんされた。↗

  The dead body was identified by a mole on the cheek.

死体 and 遺体 are the everyday choices for a dead body, 遺体 being more respectful; 屍 is literary, 死人 emphasizes the person, and 躯 suggests remains.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 躯むくろ(dead) body
• 死人しにんcorpse
• 屍しかばねcorpse
• 死体したいdead body
• 遺体いたい(dead) body
• 死骸しがい(dead) body
• 亡骸なきがらremains
• 死屍ししcorpse
• コープスcorpse
• 遺骸いがいremains
• もぬけの殻もぬけのからbody from which the soul has left