What is the difference between 死ね and 死んじゃえ?

Question

I was watching an anime (Re:Zero) and I came across a character using "死んじゃえ" instead of the typical "死ね"? From context "死んじゃえ" seems more forceful but can someone tell me what does it actually mean, how would a Japanese person read "死んじゃえ" in a cultural sense?

Answer 1

Have you learned about the subsidiary verb しまう? -じゃえ is the imperative form of -じゃう, which is a contracted form of -てしまう. So 死んじゃえ is the same as 死んでしまえ except that the former is more colloquial.

As a subsidiary verb, (-て)しまう has several functions. For one, it can add a nuance of carefreeness, or the sense of "anyway", "stop worrying", "I don't care", "although it may come with a bad consequence", "I dare say", "no matter what will happen" and so on. See: What are these forms: かけちゃお, つないじゃお?

For example:

• ボタン押しますよ?
  I'll push this button, okay?
• ボタン押しちゃいますよ?
  I'll push this button (anyway, although it may be dangerous), okay?

Likewise, 死んじゃえ sounds like the speaker is aware that it's a bad thing to say and that it may come with a bad consequence. For example, 死んじゃえ is what an angry small girl may say to her mother; she knows that her mom is important, but when she can't help feeling like saying "Die!", she says 死んじゃえ in Japanese. On the other hand, 死ね is a simple and blunt order.