noun
Refers to the optical illusion, often seen in deserts or on hot roads. Used in both literal and figurative contexts.
砂漠でミラージュを見た。
I saw a mirage in the desert.
成功はミラージュのように消えた。
Success vanished like a mirage.
蜃気楼 is the native Japanese term for mirage, often used in literary or formal contexts, while ミラージュ is a common loanword.
Borrowed from French 'mirage'.