A question I am commonly asked is, “What is the Japanese word for ghost?” However, what seems a simple question is actually complicated.
Ghost. Spirit. Specter. Wraith. Revenant. Several words in the English language describe souls of the dead who have not moved on to the afterlife. Many of these come from other languages; like ghost, which has its probable roots in the pre-Germanic word ghoizdoz, meaning fury or anger; or spirit from the Latin spiritus meaning breath. Then there are more direct loan words, such as the Dutch spōk (spook), or the French phantom, or the Scottish wraith. Each word can mean “ghost,” but each word carries a different nuance or flavor.
Some words are even more specific. Poltergeist combines the German words poltern meaning to rumble or to make noise and geist
meaning spirit or ghost. Put the two words together and you have a very specific entity that cannot be mistaken for some other type of ghost. A poltergeist is only ever a poltergeist.
A country as obsessed with ghosts as Japan is obviously going to have more than a single word. Just as in English, there are several words meaning “ghost,” but each with a different usage and feel.
All(most) all Japanese words for ghost use some variation on the kanji 霊. 霊 can be read as either –rei or –ryō (or tama, or mitama, or –ki — no one ever said Japanese was easy). Whatever the pronunciation, 霊 always retains the rough meaning of spirit.
Here is a list and definition of all the Japanese words for ghost that I know. I am sure the list must be incomplete:
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幽霊 – yūrei – 幽 (dim) +霊 (spirit) – Probably the most common Japanese word for ghost, yūrei translates pretty happily as dim
spirit. This seems like an obvious explanation – ghosts are see-through, after all – but the word has a further connection. One of the words of the land of the dead in Japanese is 霊の世界 Yū no Seikai – The Dim Land.
亡霊 – bōrei – 亡 (departed) +霊 (spirit) – Bōrei is the Gothic term for ghost in Japanese, meaning ruined or departed spirit. This is the word with the most literary overtones. Probably the best example is Japanese translations of Shakespeare where the ghost of Hamlet’s father is called Hamlet no Bōrei.
心霊 – shinrei – 心 (heart) +霊 (spirit) – Shinrei is the term preferred by spiritualists in Japan, and carries a more mystical feel.
精霊 – seirei/shōryō – 精 (vitality) +霊 (spirit) – This combination of kanji has religious connotations. When pronounced, seirei, it is most likely talking about Western ghosts. When pronounced shōryō it has Buddhist connotations.
聖霊 – seirei – 聖 (holy) +霊 (spirit) – The same pronunciation as seirei above, but changing the kanji makes the word for the Holy Ghost of Christianity.
死霊 – shiryō – 死 (dead) +霊 (spirit) – Because it has the kanji for “death” right there in the front, shiryō is a little bit scarier term for a ghost in Japanese.
生霊 – ikiryō – 生 (living) +霊 (spirit) – Ikiryō is a specific term for a person who releases their ghost-energy while still alive. It is a rare manifestation, seen mainly in The Tale of Genji.
怨霊 – onryō – 怨 (grudge) +霊 (spirit) – A popular figure in J-Horror flicks, onryō are ghosts who died with some lingering grudge, and seek revenge against those who wronged them.
騒霊 –sōrei – 騒 (disruptive) +霊 (spirit) – This is a rarely-used term for poltergeist, meaning ghosts who just rattle the chandeliers and move chairs around. In modern Japan, most people would just use the loan-word poltergeist.
祖霊 – sorei – 祖 (ancestor) +霊 (spirit) – Similar pronunciation as above, but with a long vowel and and a drastically different kanji. Sorei are ancestor spirits who protect the living, and are deeply honored.
神霊 – shinrei – 神 (shrine) +霊 (spirit) – Another rarely used term, this refers to the spirits of Shinto shrines.
悪霊 – akuryō – 悪 (bad) +霊 (spirit) – This is a somewhat loaded term that mean’s simply “bad spirit.” It carries a more Western feel to it, and could be applied to devils as well as ghosts.
英霊 – eirei – 英 (heroic) +霊 (spirit) – Spirits of the war dead/heroes.
お化け/化け物 – obake/bakemono お化け (changing) + 物 (thing) – The terms refer not specifically to yūrei but translate in usage to something closer to supernatural creature. Obake and bakemono use the kanji 化 (bakeru) which carries the meaning of to adopt a disguise or change form, with the implication of changing for the worse.
Further Reading:
Check out other yurei tales from hyakumonogatari.com:
What Does Yokai Mean in English?
What is the Triangle Headband Japanese Ghosts Wear?
Goryo Shinko – The Religion of Ghosts
Jul 19, 2011 @ 17:17:08
Thanks for posting this! I was always curious about other words for 幽霊 and what the difference between 幽霊 and 化け物 was.
Jul 22, 2011 @ 09:12:40
Thanks! I am glad you found it helpful! The confusion between obake and yurei is lcomplicated and ong-standing. Some of the heaviest hitters of Japanese folklore have jumped into the conversation.
Kunio Yanagita, one of Japan’s earliest and foremost folklorists, made a clear distinction between yūrei and obake in his seminal “Yokaidangi (Lectures on Monsters).” He claimed that yūrei haunt a particular person, while obake haunt a particular place. Mizuki Shigeru says that anything that somehow change from one form to another is an obake. So he would say something like a yūrei is an obake, because it changed from a living person to a dead person, while a kappa is not, because it was always a kappa and didn’t change shape.
In general Japanese usage though, obake has no real distinction and all supernatural creatures are called obake. When someone is startled or senses something strange, they usually say “Obake!” rather than “Yūrei!”
Sep 21, 2011 @ 00:15:57
Would it be possible to compose a list of Japanese ‘ghost types’ such as ubume, hone yurei, funa yurei, goryo, etc.? While your above list of different ghost words are interesting, I’m concerned with the varying types of ghosts and their unique forms and purposes. I am interested in the varieties available from folklore, especially those that I am unfamiliar with.
Sep 22, 2011 @ 16:08:14
That is a good suggestion! I will get working on that.
Apr 10, 2013 @ 23:35:07
I’m researching about the true nature of Yokai, for my story and I stumbled upon this very reliable source. Thank You Very Much!!! Your awesome Zack Davisson.
Apr 10, 2013 @ 23:49:43
I was researching about the true nature of Yokai in the internet and I stumbled upon this very reliable source. It helped me a lot, I really love Japanese Folklore. I have one suggestion though would you please have some illustrations for each of the Yokai for me to be able to describe them easily on my story (physical image).
And I really want to know their unique forms and abilities or purposes.
Thank You Very Much!!! Your awesome Zack Davisson.
Apr 11, 2013 @ 15:34:28
Thank you! Glad you found my site! All of these ghosts would pretty much look the same. They are just different names for the same thing. And as to adding illustrations of yokai–well, there are thousands of them! I add as many as I can, but am limited by time.
If you want to know more about yokai, check out my post “A Brief History of Yokai.” That is a great introduction to what yokai are and their true nature.
http://hyakumonogatari.com/2013/02/05/a-brief-history-of-yokai/
Apr 12, 2013 @ 20:21:10
i didn’t expect that u will reply on my comment…thanks!. By the way i forgot to introduce myself, call me “Momotaro” a weird name but i like it. It means Peach Boy isn’t it..:)
oh and thanks for your ” A Brief History of Yokai”…such a big help just one more thing can you feature KITSUNE.. next ..i’m really really fascinated with those creatures and i want to add them in my story but i can’t get enough reliable informations about them.
Apr 13, 2013 @ 13:08:20
I always try to replay to comments if I can. And yes, Momotaro means “Peach Boy.” It’s a famous Japanese folktale.
I probably won’t do kitsune anytime soon … some yokai are just to “big” to do proper justice to them in a blog like mine. Kappa, tengu, tanuki, kitsune … there is enough folklore around them to write books instead of blog articles. When I feature those, it is usually around some specific story or slice of folklore.
Apr 13, 2013 @ 21:08:12
But, can you please give me a very brief information,if you will be able to reply on this comment please please,,(i’m doing dogeza right now),sorry for being persistent..
And is their any Folk stories that you know about the existence of a Hanyo?If I’m not mistaken they are half human and half yokai, can you please share it to your blog…thanks!!
I really understand why you can’t feature kitsunes yet on your blog.
Apr 14, 2013 @ 14:52:54
There aren’t any folk stories or traditions about hanyo, because the word and concept was invented by Takahashi Rumiko for her comic book InuYasha. Takahashi uses folklore in her comics, but she isn’t authentic with it–she makes up whatever she needs to tell the story she wants to tell.