故人|こじんkojin[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounthe deceased; the departed
   故人こじんをしのんで、記念碑きねんひが建たてられた。↗

   A monument was erected in memory of the deceased.
2. nounold friend; longtime acquaintance

• Synonym死者ししゃNeutralNeutral, objective word for a dead person, as in 「事故死者」; unlike 「故人」, it carries no sense of respect for the departed.
• Synonym死亡者しぼうしゃWrittenFormal word for the dead as counted in statistics and reports; 「故人」 instead conveys respect for the departed.
• Synonym亡き者なきものWrittenWritten-style word for the departed; 「故人」 is more common in ordinary use and adds respect for the person.
• Synonym亡き人なきひとWrittenLiterary word for someone who has passed, tinged with fond remembrance; close to 「故人」 but more literary in tone.
• Synonym物故者ぶっこしゃWrittenWritten term for the deceased, tending to appear in rosters and records; 「故人」 is more common and respectful.
• Synonym帰らぬ人かえらぬひとNeutralEuphemism for someone who has gone and will never return; 「故人」 is the more formal way to speak of the dead.
• Related亡者もうじゃNeutralMeans a spirit of the dead or, as in 「金の亡者」, a person consumed by lust for money or power; 「故人」 is respectful.
• Related仏様ほとけさまNeutralRespectful name for a Buddha, extended to the departed with Buddhist overtones; 「故人」 is more neutral.
• Related昔人むかしびとWrittenWritten word for people of past ages, the ancients; 「故人」 refers to a specific individual who has died.
• Antonym生存者せいぞんしゃNeutralA survivor, someone who lived on where others died; the opposite of 「故人」, who has passed away.
• Antonym現存者WrittenWritten antonym: a person still alive or extant, the opposite of a 「故人」 who has passed away.

Use 「故人」 to speak of a deceased person with respect, as in 「故人を偲ぶ」. For the dead stated plainly, use 「死者」; for death tolls and statistics, 「死亡者」; as a gentle euphemism, 「帰らぬ人」. 「亡き者」「亡き人」「物故者」 are written-style alternatives. 「亡者」 can also mean an obsessed person, 「仏様」 has Buddhist overtones, 「昔人」 means people of the past, and 「生存者」「現存者」 are opposites.

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

1. 死亡しぼうした人ひと。
2. 昔むかしからの友人ゆうじん。旧友きゅうゆう。