あの世よ

あ

の

よ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

the other world; the next world; the world beyond; the afterlife

Refers to the world after death, often contrasted with この世 (this world). Used in religious, spiritual, and everyday contexts.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉をあの世よに送おくるto send someone to the afterlife (i.e. to kill them)
彼かれはライバルをあの世よに送おくってしまった。
He ended up sending his rival to the afterlife.
あの世よで〈人ひと〉と再さい会かいするto be reunited with someone in the afterlife
あの世よで両りょう親しんと再さい会かいできることを願ねがっている。
I hope to be reunited with my parents in the afterlife.
あの世よから戻もどるto return from the afterlife (e.g. after a near-death experience)
彼かれは臨りん死し体たい験けんであの世よから戻もどってきたと語かたった。
He said he came back from the afterlife after a near-death experience.

Expressions

あの世よに行いくto die; to pass away; to go to heaven
あの世よ千せん日にちこの世よ一いち日にちa day in life is better than a thousand days in the afterlife

Kanji

世generation, world, society
彼he, that, the

Related words

来らい世せ
来世 is a formal Buddhist term for the next life one is reborn into, while あの世 is the everyday word for the afterlife in general.
冥めい土ど
冥土 is a somewhat literary/religious word for the realm of the dead, while あの世 is the common, everyday term.
黄泉よみ
黄泉 is an old, mythological term for the underworld from Japanese folklore, while あの世 is the general, modern word for the afterlife.
天てん国ごくN2
天国 specifically means 'heaven', a pleasant afterlife destination, while あの世 is a neutral term for the afterlife with no implication of good or bad.

Opposites

この世よN1
この世 means 'this world, the life we're living now', while あの世 means 'the other world, the afterlife'.

Written forms

あの世よUsage100%
Standard kanji-kana spelling; the most common written form.
彼あの世よUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners are unlikely to encounter it.

Etymology

Compound of あの (that, distal) and 世 (world, realm). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used since classical Japanese to refer to the world after death.