怪談(かいだん)

かいだん
noun
ghost story, tale of the supernatural
leisure
1. ghost story, supernatural tale, horror story
A story involving ghosts, spirits, or other supernatural phenomena. A well-established literary and oral tradition in Japan, with classic tales dating back centuries.
夏(なつ)になると怪談(かいだん)を聞(き)きたくなる。
When summer comes, I feel like listening to ghost stories.
キャンプファイヤーで怪談(かいだん)を語(かた)り合(あ)った。
We told each other ghost stories around the campfire.
日本(にほん)には古(ふる)くから伝(つた)わる有名(ゆうめい)な怪談(かいだん)がたくさんある。
Japan has many famous ghost stories that have been passed down since ancient times.

Cultural note

Ghost stories are traditionally associated with summer in Japan. The reasoning is that the chills from a scary story help cool you down in the heat. 怪談(かいだん) specials appear on television during summer, and haunted houses (お化(ば)け屋敷(やしき)) are popular summer attractions.

Famous works

Lafcadio Hearn's collection "Kwaidan" (1904) brought Japanese ghost stories to Western audiences. Classic 怪談(かいだん) include 四谷怪談(よつやかいだん) (Yotsuya Kaidan) and 番町皿屋敷(ばんちょうさらやしき) (The Dish Mansion at Banchou).

Common collocations

  • 怪談(かいだん)を語(かた)る: to tell a ghost story
  • 怪談(かいだん)話(ばなし): ghost story (colloquial)
  • 怪談(かいだん)映画(えいが): horror movie (ghost story genre)

Related Words

Related: 異聞(いぶん) (strange tale)
Compare: 怪奇(かいき) (mysterious)
Related: ホラー (horror (genre))
Related: ホラー映画(えいが) (horror movie)
Related: ホラー小説(しょうせつ) (horror novel)
general
Added 2026.2.22 13:10 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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