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即死 is a noun with meaning "instant death" and the grammar

S+が/は+N+する

as far as I know, means someone does something. For example,

  • 僕は勉強する。I study.
  • 彼がテニスする。He plays tennis.

Now, if I apply the noun 即死, for example,

  • 彼が即死した。

Which is the correct translation?

  • He died instantly. (my translation)
  • He was killed instantly. (google's translation)

I don't understand why google used passive form here.

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1 Answer 1

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I think Google preferred "to be killed" because 即死 is usually used with sudden physical accidents like a car crash, lightning strike, explosion, gun shot, etc. Take a look at examples sentences here. In English, "to be killed" is frequently used with those (maybe more often than "to die of"?), while 殺される in Japanese is basically only for murder cases.

It's safe to use 即死 with, for example, a sudden heart attack, but it's less common.

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