1.
spiriting away, mysterious disappearance attributed to supernatural forces
A traditional Japanese belief that when a person — especially a child — vanished without explanation, they had been hidden away by gods, spirits, or tengu. In modern usage, refers to any sudden, inexplicable disappearance.
子どもが神隠しに遭った。
The child was spirited away.
昔は行方不明になることを神隠しと呼んだ。
In the old days, disappearances were called kamikakushi.
村の少女がある日突然姿を消し、人々は神隠しだと噂した。
A girl from the village suddenly vanished one day, and people whispered that she had been spirited away.
USAGE:
A word rooted in Japanese folklore. Historically, unexplained disappearances of people — particularly children — were attributed to gods (神) or supernatural beings like 天狗 who would 隠す (hide) the person. The word became widely known internationally through the Studio Ghibli film 千と千尋の神隠し (Spirited Away, 2001).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 神隠しに遭う: to be spirited away
- 神隠しにあったように: as if spirited away
- 千と千尋の神隠し: Spirited Away (film title)