Is 亡くなる a polite form of しぬ?


Is 亡くなる is a polite form of しぬ?

What is the difference in nuance between these two sentences:

  1. ディックは１０歳のとき亡くなった。

  2. ディックは１０歳のとき死んだ。




亡くなる is a [euphemism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism) for 死ぬ. 死ぬ means
“to die” directly, and it is often appropriate to replace it with the less
direct 亡くなる when one is talking about the death of a person. As Dave wrote in
his answer, euphemisms for death exist in other languages, too.

死ぬ can be used for a person or an animal, but 亡くなる is usually used only for a
person.

逝去する, mentioned in Derek’s comment on Dave’s answer, is a 尊敬語 (respectful
form) of 死ぬ/亡くなる and raises the status of the person who is mentioned. 亡くなる is
_not_ a 尊敬語. For example, it is correct to use 亡くなる when talking about the
death of a family member to the outside, but it is incorrect to use 逝去する in
this case.




亡くなる is a [euphemism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism) for 死ぬ. 死ぬ means
“to die” directly, and it is often appropriate to replace it with the less
direct 亡くなる when one is talking about the death of a person. As Dave wrote in
his answer, euphemisms for death exist in other languages, too.

死ぬ can be used for a person or an animal, but 亡くなる is usually used only for a
person.

逝去する, mentioned in Derek’s comment on Dave’s answer, is a 尊敬語 (respectful
form) of 死ぬ/亡くなる and raises the status of the person who is mentioned. 亡くなる is
_not_ a 尊敬語. For example, it is correct to use 亡くなる when talking about the
death of a family member to the outside, but it is incorrect to use 逝去する in
this case.

