妖怪(ようかい)

ようかい
noun
yokai, supernatural monster, specter
1. yokai, supernatural creature, specter
A class of supernatural beings, spirits, and monsters from Japanese folklore. Yokai range from malevolent demons to mischievous tricksters to benign spirits, and include creatures like kappa, tengu, tanuki, and oni. A central concept in Japanese mythology and popular culture.
日本(にほん)には様々(さまざま)な妖怪(ようかい)の伝説(でんせつ)がある。
Japan has legends about various yokai.
子供(こども)のころ、妖怪(ようかい)の話(はなし)を聞(き)いて怖(こわ)がった。
As a child, I was scared hearing stories about yokai.
妖怪(ようかい)を題材(だいざい)にしたアニメや漫画(まんが)は日本(にほん)だけでなく海外(かいがい)でも人気(にんき)がある。
Anime and manga featuring yokai are popular not only in Japan but also overseas.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 妖怪(ようかい)伝説(でんせつ): yokai legends
  • 妖怪(ようかい)退治(たいじ): yokai slaying
  • 妖怪(ようかい)図鑑(ずかん): yokai encyclopedia/guide
  • 妖怪(ようかい)の正体(しょうたい): the true identity of a yokai

CULTURAL NOTE:
妖怪(ようかい) are deeply rooted in Japanese culture and appear extensively in literature, art, anime, manga, and games. Famous examples include 河童(かっぱ) (kappa, water creature), 天狗(てんぐ) (tengu, long-nosed mountain spirit), 鬼(おに) (oni, ogre/demon), and 狐(きつね) (fox spirit). The painter 鳥山石燕(とりやませきえん) (Toriyama Sekien) catalogued many yokai in the Edo period, and modern works like 水木(みずき)しげるの「ゲゲゲの鬼太郎(きたろう)」have kept yokai in popular consciousness.

SIMILAR WORDS:
妖怪(ようかい) vs 幽霊(ゆうれい): 幽霊(ゆうれい) specifically refers to ghosts (spirits of the dead). 妖怪(ようかい) is a broader category encompassing all manner of supernatural creatures, not limited to the dead.

妖怪(ようかい) vs 化(ば)け物(もの): 化(ば)け物(もの) (monster) is a more colloquial term that can include yokai but also refers to anything monstrous or abnormally large.

Related Words

Contrast: 幽霊(ゆうれい) (ghost)
general
Added 2026.2.20 22:09
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