noun
superstition; superstitious belief
Refers to irrational beliefs not based on science or reason, often involving luck, omens, or supernatural forces.
彼は迷信をまったく信じない。
He doesn't believe in superstitions at all.
日本にはたくさんの迷信がある。
There are many superstitions in Japan.
俗信 is a more academic term for folk beliefs, not necessarily negative; 迷信 implies irrationality.
Compound of 迷 (mei, 'delusion, confusion') and 信 (shin, 'belief'). The word itself is a relatively modern coinage, likely from the Meiji period, used to translate Western concepts of superstition.