亡ぼう霊れい

ぼ

う

れ

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

departed spirit; soul of the dead

Refers to the spirit of a deceased person, often with a neutral or slightly formal tone. Can be used in religious, literary, or memorial contexts.

彼かれは亡ぼう霊れいとなって現あらわれた。
He appeared as a departed spirit.
この寺てらでは亡ぼう霊れいを慰なぐさめる儀ぎ式しきが行おこなわれる。
At this temple, a ceremony is held to console the souls of the dead.

noun

ghost; apparition

A visible manifestation of a dead person, often with a spooky or haunting nuance. Common in ghost stories and supernatural contexts.

夜よ中なかに廊ろう下かで亡ぼう霊れいを見みた。
I saw a ghost in the hallway at midnight.
その城しろには亡ぼう霊れいが出でるという噂うわさだ。
Rumor has it that a ghost appears in that castle.

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Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に亡ぼう霊れいが出でるa ghost appears (in a place)
この古ふるい屋や敷しきには亡ぼう霊れいが出でるという噂うわさがある。
There's a rumor that a ghost appears in this old mansion.
亡ぼう霊れいにとりつかれるto be haunted/possessed by a ghost
彼かれは亡ぼう霊れいにとりつかれているようだった。
He seemed to be haunted by a ghost.
亡ぼう霊れいのようにlike a ghost (eerily pale, silent, or lifeless)
彼かの女じょは亡ぼう霊れいのように静しずかに現あらわれた。
She appeared silently, like a ghost.

Kanji

亡deceased, the late, dying
霊spirits, soul

Related words

幽ゆう霊れいN1sense 2
幽霊 is the everyday, common word for a ghost, often implying a vengeful or traditional spirit, while 亡霊 is more literary or formal and can simply mean a departed soul without any haunting nuance.
死し霊りょう sense 1
死霊 emphasizes the spirit of a specific dead person acting with intent (e.g. cursing or possessing), whereas 亡霊 is a more general, often literary term for a departed spirit or apparition.
霊れい sense 1
霊 is a broad term for any spirit or soul, not necessarily of the dead, while 亡霊 specifically denotes the spirit of a deceased person.
精しょう霊りょう
亡霊 refers to a ghost or apparition of the dead, often with an eerie, haunting connotation, whereas 精霊 is the neutral term used for the departed soul during Buddhist memorial services.

Don't confuse with

亡ぼう命めいN1
亡命 shares the kanji 亡 with 亡霊 but means 'to flee one's country/defect', a completely unrelated concept to the ghost or departed spirit meaning of 亡霊.
悪あく霊りょう
亡霊 simply means the spirit of a dead person and is not inherently evil, unlike 悪霊 which is specifically malicious.

Etymology

Compound of 亡 (ぼう, 'deceased') and 霊 (れい, 'spirit'). The reading is on'yomi. The word has been used in Japanese literature for centuries to refer to spirits of the dead.