Translation guide
A person who believes in or communicates with spirits, or a follower of spiritualism. In Japanese, the term varies based on context: a medium who channels spirits, a psychic, or a philosophical/religious adherent.
A person who claims to communicate with the dead or other spirits, often in a séance or trance.
The most direct and common term for a professional medium who acts as an intermediary between the living and the dead.
彼女は有名な霊媒師です。
She is a famous spiritualist.
A person with psychic or spiritual abilities, often used broadly for mediums, psychics, or exorcists.
その霊能者は霊と話せると主張している。
That spiritualist claims to be able to talk to spirits.
A traditional Japanese medium, often a blind woman, who summons spirits and allows them to speak through her. Historically associated with Shinto and folk practices.
口寄せの儀式が行われた。
A spiritualist ritual was performed.
A person with extrasensory perception, not necessarily focused on spirit communication.
Same as above, but in contexts emphasizing psychic powers rather than mediumship.
彼は霊能者としてテレビに出ている。
He appears on TV as a spiritualist.
A person who adheres to the belief system of spiritualism, often involving an afterlife and communication with spirits as a religious practice.
Specifically a believer in spiritualism as a religious or philosophical movement. More formal and academic.
彼は心霊主義者として知られている。
He is known as a spiritualist.
Loanword from English, used in modern contexts, especially New Age or Western spiritualism. May sound trendy.
彼女はスピリチュアリストで、毎日瞑想している。
She is a spiritualist and meditates every day.
Directly translating 'spiritualist' as スピリチュアリスト may not be understood in traditional contexts. Use 霊媒師 for mediums, 霊能者 for psychics, and 心霊主義者 for the philosophical stance.
霊媒師 specifically mediates between worlds, often in a ritual setting. 霊能者 is broader, encompassing anyone with claimed supernatural perception, including exorcists and fortune-tellers.
Literally 'person with supernatural powers', used for psychics, telekinetics, etc. Less specific to spirits.
超能力者が未来を予言した。
The spiritualist predicted the future.