Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly resorbed by osteoclasts and then replaced by osteoblasts. Osteoclasts, multinucleated cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage, are responsible for bone disorders, including osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we examined the effect of the curcumin on osteoclast survival and bone resorption. We found that curcumin significantly inhibited RANKL-mediated osteoclast survival. DAPI stainingrevealed that curcumin induced the apoptotic features of osteoclasts. Although curcumin did not suppress the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK in osteoclasts treated with RANKL, curcumin induced the cleavage of pro-caspase-9 and -3 its active forms. Also, curcumin inhibited the formation of actin rings of osteoclasts. RANKL-mediated bone resorption was inhibited by the addition of curcumin. Together with the results of this study, these findings suggest that the curcumin inhibited the survival of osteoclasts by activating caspase-9 and -3 and suppressed the bone resorptive activity. Thus, curcumin may be developed as antiresorptive drugs for the treatment of bone-related disorders.