1.
the underworld; the realm of the dead; the afterlife
The world of the dead in Buddhist and Japanese folk belief. The place where souls go after death.
冥土の旅に出る。
To depart on the journey to the underworld.
冥土の土産にいい話を聞いた。
I heard a good story — something to take with me to the grave.
祖母は「冥土で祖父に会えるのが楽しみだ」と冗談を言っていた。
My grandmother joked that she looked forward to meeting grandfather in the afterlife.
A Buddhist-derived concept referring to the dark underworld where the dead reside. Also written as 冥途. The word appears frequently in set expressions and idioms.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 冥土の土産: a story or experience to "take to the grave" — something memorable heard or experienced late in life
- 冥土の旅: the journey to the afterlife — dying
- 冥土に旅立つ: to depart for the afterlife — a euphemism for dying
SIMILAR WORDS:
- あの世: the other world; the afterlife — the most common everyday term
- 黄泉: the land of the dead — from Shinto mythology; archaic and literary
- 地獄: hell — a place of punishment, unlike 冥土 which is neutral
- 浄土: Pure Land — the Buddhist paradise, a positive afterlife destination
NOTE:
Not to be confused with the homophone メイド (maid), which is a loanword from English.