来世(らいせ)

らいせ
noun
next life; afterlife; world to come
1. next life; afterlife; world to come
The life one is believed to live after death, according to Buddhist concepts of reincarnation. Also used casually in everyday speech to express wishes for a future existence.
来世(らいせ)では鳥(とり)に生(う)まれたい。
In my next life, I want to be born as a bird.
来世(らいせ)でもまた会(あ)えるといいね。
I hope we can meet again in the next life.
仏教(ぶっきょう)では現世(げんせ)の行(おこな)いが来世(らいせ)の運命(うんめい)を決(き)めると考(かんが)えられている。
In Buddhism, it is believed that one's actions in this life determine one's fate in the next life.

A Buddhist term that has entered everyday Japanese. A compound of 来(らい) (coming, next) and 世(せ) (world, life). Part of a set of three:

  • 前世(ぜんせ) (previous life)
  • 現世(げんせ) (this life, present world)
  • 来世(らいせ) (next life, afterlife)

In casual conversation, 来世(らいせ) is often used lightheartedly to express a wish for a different existence, without serious religious meaning.

Also read as らいせい in some Buddhist texts, but らいせ is the standard modern reading.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • あの{世(よ)} means 'the other world' / afterlife (not reincarnation-focused)
  • 天国(てんごく) means heaven

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 来世(らいせ)を信(しん)じる (to believe in an afterlife)
  • 来世(らいせ)に生(う)まれ変(か)わる (to be reborn in the next life)
  • 来世(らいせ)でも (even in the next life)
general
Added 2026.3.4 17:09
14500/14988_raise