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

Compare: 幽霊(ゆうれい) (ghost)

Compare: 化(ば)け物(もの) (monster, colloquial)

Compare: 悪魔(あくま) (devil, demon, evil spirit)

Compare: おばけ (ghost, monster)

Compare: 魔物(まもの) (demon)

Compare: 怪異(かいい) (mysterious)

general

Added 2026.2.20 22:09 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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