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Kotomora

魔

witch, demon, evil spirit

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes21

Readings

On'yomi

  • マ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

魔 centers on supernatural malevolence: a witch, demon, or evil spirit that brings harm or temptation.

Most common words using 魔

20 of 167
  • 魔法まほう
    N1

    magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell

  • 邪魔じゃま
    N4

    hindrance; obstacle; nuisance; disturbance; interruption; interference

  • 悪魔あくま
    N3

    devil; demon; fiend

  • 魔ま

    demon; devil; evil spirit; evil influence

  • 魔女まじょ

    witch

  • 魔術まじゅつ
    N1

    magic; sorcery; witchcraft

  • 魔王まおう

    Satan; the Devil; the Prince of Darkness

  • 魔法使いまほうつかい

    magician; wizard; sorcerer; witch; mage

  • 魔力まりょく

    magical powers; supernatural powers; spell; charm

  • 魔物まもの

    demon; devil; evil spirit; monster; goblin; apparition

  • 誤魔化しごまかし

    cheating; deception; trickery; manipulation; juggling; falsifying; sham; camouflage; smoke and mirrors; cutting corners

  • 魔界まかい

    demon world

  • 誤魔化すごまかす
    N1

    to deceive; to cheat; to swindle

  • 魔神まじん

    devil; evil spirit; genie

  • 魔境まきょう

    demon-infested place

  • 魔道まどう

    heresy; evil ways; path of evil

  • 魔性ましょう

    devilish; diabolical

  • お邪魔おじゃま

    hindrance; intrusion

  • 通り魔とおりま

    random attacker; slasher

  • 閻魔えんま

    Yama (King of Hell who judges the dead); Enma

Explore all words using 魔 →

Study

Etymology

魔 combines 麻 (hemp, likely for sound) with 鬼 (demon, spirit) to express a demonic or bewitching force. The phono-semantic structure is clear, though the exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

Under a hemp plant 麻, a demon 鬼 lurks, casting spells like a witch.

Reading mnemonic

For マ, imagine a demonic witch casting a spell with a loud 'MA!' sound: MA -> マ.