What does "yokai" mean in Japanese
"Yokai" (妖怪) means a supernatural creature of Japanese folklore: from the fox shapeshifter kitsune to a possessed umbrella. The characters are read as 妖 "enchantment, bewitchment" and 怪 "strange, inexplicable." Yokai are neither demons nor ghosts: the spirit of the deceased is called 幽霊 (yūrei), and an evil demon is 鬼 (oni).
In Japanese tales of the supernatural, what matters is not malice but strangeness: a yokai might drown you, or it might simply count beans under your window all night. Let's explore what 妖怪 means, how it differs from ghosts and demons, and which ones you already know from anime.
What does "yokai" mean and who belongs to this category
The word gathers everything inexplicable into one category: shapeshifters, spirits of objects, water spirits, mountain old men. The common trait is that the creature is not a dead person but a separate entity with its own rules.
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 妖怪 | youkai · yōkai | Yokai — creature of Japanese folklore |
| 幽霊 | yuurei · yūrei | Ghost of the deceased (this is not a yokai: a yūrei had a human life) |
| 鬼 | oni · oni | Demon, ogre with horns (the most recognizable type of supernatural being) |
| 河童 | kappa · kappa | Water imp with a dish on its head (loves cucumbers, drowns the careless) |
| 狐 | kitsune · kitsune | Fox shapeshifter (grows up to nine tails with age) |
| 付喪神 | tsukumogami · tsukumogami | An object that came to life after a hundred years (hence umbrellas and lanterns with eyes) |
Yokai, yūrei, and oni are three different things
幽霊 (yūrei) is the spirit of a specific deceased person, usually with unfinished business. 鬼 (oni) is a horned demon-strongman, a separate type of supernatural being. 妖怪 is a general category of strange creatures, which includes oni, but not yūrei. The Western "demon" is almost always inaccurate in the Japanese context: yokai have neither hell nor deals with souls.
妖 — значение: enchantment, bewitchment, magical — онъёми: ヨウ — кунъёми: あや.しい、なま.めく、わざわ.い — 7 штрих(ов). 妖 — the first character of the word, a rare N1-level sign. Click "Show stroke order" to see how to write it.
Where yokai appear in anime and games
- "Naruto": the nine-tailed Kurama is a kitsune, a fox shapeshifter from folklore.
- "Demon Slayer" — in the original 鬼滅の刃, that is, about 鬼 (oni), not about yokai in general.
- "Spirited Away" — almost a catalog of yokai: from a river god to the faceless Kaonashi.
- Yokai are traditionally collected in scroll lists: artist Toriyama Sekien in the 18th century drew them as an encyclopedia.
- Many anime "yokai" are invented by authors, but following the genre rules: strangeness, attachment to a place, and their own quirk.
How to pronounce
"Yō-kai" — the first vowel is long, that's key: ようかい, not "yokai" with a short o. The Russian spelling "yokai" loses the length. The "i" at the end is part of the diphthong "ai", not a separate syllable.
Say the words aloud — the app will check the length of the first vowel.
FAQ
- What does "yokai" mean in Japanese?
- 妖怪 — a supernatural creature of Japanese folklore: a shapeshifter, a water imp, an object come to life. Literally "enchantment and strangeness."
- How is a yokai different from a ghost?
- The ghost of the deceased is 幽霊 (yūrei); it had a human life. A yokai is a separate entity, not the spirit of a dead person.
- Is an oni a yokai?
- Yes, 鬼 (oni) falls into the yokai category, but it is a specific type: a horned demon-strongman.
- How do you write "yokai" in Japanese?
- 妖怪, in kana ようかい. Note: the first vowel is long — "yōkai".
Updated: 2026-07-25