Bakemono meanings and its related words, explained in detail

What does “bakemono” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people would say “bakemono” to mean ‘monster’ in Japanese. It is the Japanese word for ‘monster’, ‘ghost’, ‘specter’, or perhaps ‘monter-like’. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its related words which have similar meanings. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use these words properly. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “bakemono”
  • “Bakemono” in kanji
• Definition and meanings of “kaibutsu”
  • “Kaibutsu” in kanji
• Definition and meanings of “mononoke”
• Definition and meanings of “kaijuu”
  • “Kaijuu” in kanji
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “bakemono”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “bakemono”.

• bakemono – 化け物 (ばけもの) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘ghost’, or ‘specter’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can work like an adjective to mean ‘monster-like’. It can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.

In the Japanese language, the border between nouns and adjectives called na-adjectives is very ambiguous. Basically every na-adjective consists of one noun and one conjugative suffix. And Japanese native speakers quite often omit the suffix. For these reasons, they do not hesitate to use nouns as shortened versions of na-adjectives. Sometimes, this usage is stretched to other adjectives than na-adjectives. This trend is conspicuous especially in speaking. In summary, Japanese people often use nouns like adjectives. Therefore, “bakemono” can work like an adjective to mean ‘monster-like’.

The other meanings than ‘monster-like’ are simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Bakemono” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used “bakemono”.

• 化 : a kanji character used to mean a change, transformation, or metamorphosis. Depending on the situation and context, it can also express something changed, transformed, or metamorphosed.
• 物 : a kanji character used to mean a thing, matter, or stuff. It can also be found in other words like “tabemono” and “nomimono“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “bakemono” literally expresses a thing which experienced a change, transformation, or metamorphosis. This is the basic concept lying under its meanings.

Due to the kanji concept above, “bakemono” is suitable to express something bizarre which has changed, transformed, or metamorphosed from something else. Depending on the situation, it can also express a thing in the middle of change, transformation, or metamorphosis. So, we can use “bakemono” to call a thing which still has a human-shape. Conversely, this word is not suitable to call a natural-born monster. For this purpose, the other words below would be better.

Definition and meanings of “kaibutsu”

Then, let me explain the definition and meanings of “kaibutsu”.

• kaibutsu – 怪物 (かいぶつ) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘ghost’, or ‘specter’. For the same reason as “bakemono”, this can also mean ‘monster-like’.

The grammatical definition and meanings of “kaibutsu” are basically the same as those of “bakemono”. In addition, their kanji expressions are very similar. The only one difference is the first kanji. It should be the key to understanding the difference between the two words.

“Kaibutsu” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “kaibutsu”.

• 怪 : a kanji character used to mean ‘weird’, ‘strange’, ‘suspicious’, ‘questionable’, ‘unreliable’, or ‘unusual’.
• 物 : the same as explained above.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kaibutsu” can literally mean something weird, strange, suspicious, unreliable, or unusual. This kanji concept allows us to use this word to express something weird in general, regardless of whether it has experienced a change or not. So, we can use “kaibutsu” to call something unusual or even a person doing something unusual. In fact, Japanese people often use “kaibutsu” to call a sport player who can do something incredible.

Definition and meanings of “mononoke”

Next, then, let me explain the word, “mononoke”. This word would be very famous and popular among Japanese learners, as it is used as a part of the very famous anime movie. Below are the definition and meanings.

• mononoke – 物怪 (もののけ) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘ghost’, or ‘specter’. For the same reason as “bakemono”, this can also mean ‘monster-like’.

Although the order of kanji is different, “mononke” has the same characters as “kaibutsu”. Basically, therefore, the concepts of these two words are the same. Yet, “mononoke” sounds more old-fashioned. So, Japanese native speakers rarely use it. Only when they want to make an old-fashioned expression or to give an old-fashioned nuance, they say “mononoke”. In a way, the animation movie totally succeeded in giving the old-fashioned nuance and building its view of the world even before it was released.

Definition and meanings of “kaijuu”

The last one, “kaijuu”, is more like a dedicated word for a natural-born monster. Below are its grammatical definition and meanings.

• kaijuu – 怪獣 (かいじゅう) : a noun meaning ‘monster’ or ‘monstrous beast’.

To understand how it’s different from the other three explained above, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Kaijuu” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “kaijuu”.

• 怪 – the same as explained above.
• 獣 – a kanji character used to mean ‘beast’ or ‘animal’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kaijuu” literally means ‘weird beast’, ‘strange beast’, or some such. So, it can be considered as a dedicated word for a monster. And actually, it is. Japanese people normally use it to express a natural-born monster, in other words, a monster that keeps its shape since it was born (without any change from something else). Due to this kanji concept, its meaning is limited to ‘monster’ or ‘monstrous animal’. For this reason, we should avoid using it even as a metaphor for a sport player who can do something incredible. In English, “beast” or “monster” is often used to call a superhuman-like player. But, in Japanese, it is not that common.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “bakemono” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its related words which have similar meanings. Let me summarize them as follows.

• bakemono – 化け物 (ばけもの) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘specter’, ‘ghost’, or just something bizarre. These two kanji literally mean a thing which experienced a change, transformation, or metamorphosis.
• kaibutsu – 怪物 (かいぶつ) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘specter’, ‘ghost’, or just something bizarre. These two kanji literally mean something weird, strange, suspicious, unreliable, or unusual. It can also be used to express a sports player doing something incredible.
• mononoke – 物怪 (もののけ) : a noun meaning ‘monster’, ‘ghost’, or ‘specter’. For the same reason as “bakemono”, this can also mean ‘monster-like’.
• kaijuu – 怪獣 (かいじゅう) : a noun meaning ‘monster’ or ‘monstrous beast’. These two kanji literally mean ‘weird beast’, ‘strange beast’, or some such. So, it is more like a dedicated word for a natural-born monster.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.