人ひと魂だま

noun

will-o'-the-wisp; ghostly fireball

In Japanese folklore, a floating ball of fire believed to be the soul of a dead person. Often appears in graveyards or at night.

• 夜よるの墓ぼ地ちで人ひと魂だまを見みたという話はなしを聞きいた。

  I heard a story about someone seeing a ghostly fireball in a graveyard at night.

noun

meteor; shooting star

Rare or archaic use; the more common modern word for meteor is 流星 (りゅうせい).

See also: 流星

• 昔むかしの人ひとは流ながれ星ぼしを人ひと魂だまと呼よぶこともあった。

  In the past, people sometimes called shooting stars 人魂.