1.
myriad, eight million, innumerable
An extremely large, uncountable number. Most famously used in the Shinto concept of 八百万の神 (eight million gods / myriad deities), expressing the belief that divine spirits reside in all things.
八百万の神。
The myriad gods.
日本には八百万の神がいると言われている。
It is said that there are eight million gods in Japan.
八百万の神という考え方は、自然のあらゆるものに神が宿るという信仰に基づいている。
The concept of myriad gods is based on the belief that divine spirits dwell in all things in nature.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 八百万の神 (the myriad gods, the eight million deities)
USAGE NOTES:
Almost exclusively used in the expression 八百万の神, a core concept in Shinto. The number "eight million" is not literal but represents an inconceivably large number — the idea that gods and spirits inhabit everything in the natural world: mountains, rivers, trees, rocks, and even everyday objects. This concept is foundational to Japanese animism and is often cited to explain Japan's polytheistic religious worldview. The reading やおよろず is an old Japanese number reading (八百 = 800, 万 = 10,000).