noun
departed soul; spirit of the dead
A somewhat literary or formal term for the soul or spirit of a deceased person. Not an everyday word; more common in religious, literary, or poetic contexts.
亡魂を慰めるために、僧侶が読経した。
The monk chanted sutras to console the departed souls.
彼は亡魂がこの世に留まっていると信じていた。
He believed that the spirits of the dead lingered in this world.
Compound of 亡 (ぼう, 'deceased, dead') and 魂 (こん, 'soul, spirit'). The reading ぼうこん follows the on'yomi of both characters. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the word is formed from classical Chinese elements.