背後霊(はいごれい)

はいごれい
noun
spirit behind someone; spirit hovering behind a person
culturereligion
1. spirit behind someone; spirit hovering behind a person
A spirit believed to be attached to or following behind a person. Can refer to a protective ancestral spirit or, in popular culture, to a ghost that haunts someone by standing behind them.
背後霊(はいごれい)がいるような気(き)がする。
I feel like there's a spirit behind me.
霊能者(れいのうしゃ)に背後霊(はいごれい)が見(み)えると言(い)われた。
A psychic told me they could see a spirit behind me.
テレビの心霊(しんれい)番組(ばんぐみ)では背後霊(はいごれい)の話題(わだい)がよく取(と)り上(あ)げられるが、信(しん)じるかどうかは人(ひと)それぞれだ。
TV shows about the supernatural often feature the topic of spirits behind people, but whether or not to believe is up to each individual.

A compound of 背後(はいご) (behind, at one's back) and 霊(れい) (spirit, ghost). The term became widely known through Japanese spiritual and occult media. It can refer to either a benevolent guardian spirit (similar to a guardian angel) or a malevolent haunting spirit, depending on the context.

The concept was particularly popularized in the 1980s through spiritual counselors and TV programs. It is now commonly used in everyday conversation, often humorously, to describe the feeling of someone or something hovering behind you.

Common collocations

  • 背後霊(はいごれい)がいる: a spirit is behind someone
  • 背後霊(はいごれい)が見(み)える: to be able to see a spirit behind someone
  • 背後霊(はいごれい)が憑(つ)いている: a spirit is attached to someone
  • 背後霊(はいごれい)を祓(はら)う: to exorcise a spirit

Similar words

  • 守護霊(しゅごれい): guardian spirit — always protective, similar to a guardian angel
  • 地縛霊(じばくれい): earthbound spirit — a ghost bound to a specific location
  • 生霊(いきりょう): living spirit — the spirit of a living person projected through strong emotion
  • 幽霊(ゆうれい): ghost; phantom — the general term for ghosts of the dead

Related Words

Compare: 守護霊(しゅごれい) (guardian spirit)
Compare: 地縛霊(じばくれい) (earthbound spirit)
Compare: 幽霊(ゆうれい) (ghost)
general
Added 2026.4.22 19:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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