What does “yūrei” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “yūrei” (“yuurei” is more precise, but I’m using the one more familiar to Japanese learners) to mean ‘ghost’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “yūrei” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “yūrei”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “yūrei”.
- yūrei – 幽霊 (ゆうれい) : a noun meaning ‘ghost’, ‘specter’, ‘phantom’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to the spirit of a dead person. They also sometimes use it as a metaphor for a person like a ghost. So, its usages are very similar to those of English nouns like “ghost”.
The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Yūrei in kanji
The kanji expression of “yūrei” consists of the following two characters:
- 幽 : a kanji character used to mean ‘land of the dead’, ‘afterlife’, ‘hereafter’, or such in Japanese.
- 霊 : a kanji character used to mean ‘spirit’ or ‘ghost’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “yūrei” literally means a spirit from the land of the dead. This kanji concept seems to be completely in line with what “yūrei” actually means.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “yūrei” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “yūrei” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “ghost” in Japanese
kanojo wa yūrei wo mi ta to it ta – 彼女は幽霊を見たと言った (かのじょはゆうれいをみたといった)
She said she saw a ghost.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “yūrei” to make the object in the clause.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to look’, ‘to watch’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, the first “ta” is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”. The second one is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after “yūrei wo mi ta” to indicate what “kanojo” said.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of “yūrei”. In this example, it works as a part of the clause, “yūrei wo mi ta”, which means ‘to have seen a ghost’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “yūrei”
watashi wa yūrei wo shinji te i nai – 私は幽霊を信じていない (わたしはゆうれいをしんじていない)
I don’t believe in ghosts.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- shinji – 信じ (しんじ) : one conjugation of the verb, “shinjiru”, which means ‘to believe’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “shinji” to make its te form, “shinji te”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. In the example, this is used to make the better connection between “shinjiru” and “iru”.
- i い – one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “iru“, which is used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used to express the continuity of the action, ‘to believe’.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, this is used to deny the meaning of “shinji te iru”, ‘to believe’.
This is another typical usage of “yūrei”. In this example, it works as a part of the expression, “yūrei wo shinji te i nai”, which means ‘not to believe in ghosts’ in Japanese. When we want to say “ghost” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yūrei” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- yūrei – 幽霊 (ゆうれい) : a noun meaning ‘ghost’, ‘specter’, ‘phantom’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean a spirit from the land of the dead. This kanji concept seems to be completely in line with the meanings.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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