Translation guide
A tale about ghosts, spirits, or supernatural events, often told to frighten or entertain.
A story about ghosts or supernatural events, often told for entertainment or to scare.
The most common and natural word for a ghost story, especially one told orally, often in a traditional or spooky setting.
When summer comes, I feel like listening to ghost stories.
He is good at telling ghost stories.
Literally 'story of a ghost', a more general and casual way to refer to a ghost story.
Yesterday, I heard a ghost story from a friend.
Similar to 幽霊の話, but お化け can include monsters and other supernatural beings, often used in casual or children's contexts.
Kids love ghost stories.
Refers to a 'mystery/horror novel' or 'weird tale', often used for literary ghost stories or supernatural fiction.
He has read many masterpieces of weird fiction.
A frightening story that may involve ghosts, monsters, or other scary elements.
A classic or folkloric Japanese tale about ghosts, often with a moral or cultural significance.
Specifies a Japanese ghost story, often referring to traditional tales like those of Lafcadio Hearn.
In Japanese ghost stories, there are famous tales like the Snow Woman.
A traditional Japanese game of telling one hundred ghost stories, often by candlelight, with a supernatural twist at the end.
怪談 specifically refers to ghost stories, often with a traditional or oral storytelling nuance. 怖い話 is a broader term for any scary story, including those without ghosts.
A kaidan is a story with ghosts, but a kowai hanashi can even be a story about a murder case.
In Japan, ghost stories are traditionally associated with summer, as the chill from fear was believed to help cool down in the heat. You'll often hear 怪談 in summer festivals or gatherings.
He began to quietly tell a horrifying story.
Hyakumonogatari was a popular ghost story gathering in the Edo period.