Step 1 :The square root of a negative number is an imaginary number.
Step 2 :The square root of -81 can be written as the square root of 81 times the square root of -1.
Step 3 :The square root of 81 is 9 and the square root of -1 is represented as 'i' in mathematics.
Step 4 :Therefore, the square root of -81 is 9i.
Step 5 :The equivalent expression to \(\sqrt{-81}\) is \(\boxed{9i}\).