noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
transformation; disguise; taking another form
Refers to the act of changing one's appearance or form, often in a supernatural or deceptive context. Commonly used in compounds like 化け物 (monster) or 化けの皮 (mask, false appearance).
狐が美女に化ける話はよくある。
Stories of foxes transforming into beautiful women are common.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
artificial fly (fishing lure)
In fishing contexts, 化け refers to an artificial fly used as a lure. This is a specialized term.
渓流釣りでは、化けを使って魚を誘う。
In mountain stream fishing, they use artificial flies to lure fish.
This actor can convincingly pass for a different age.
彼の正体がばれて、化けの皮がはがれた。
His true identity was exposed, and his disguise was stripped away.
In stream fishing, people often use an artificial fly.
変装 specifically means disguising oneself (e.g., with a costume or fake identity), whereas 化け is broader and often implies a supernatural or trickery element.
化け物 is a concrete noun meaning 'monster' or 'ghost', while 化け alone is the abstract act or state of transformation/disguise itself.
take the form of; transform into (supernatural) · disguise oneself as · change into; transform; metamorphose · improve dramatically; make a complete turnaround
ghost; apparition; goblin; monster; demon · something unusually large
monster; goblin; ghost; apparition
quick-change dance (kabuki) · seven disguises of a ninja
wild card (hanafuda); multi-purpose scoring card
Standard kanji spelling for this noun; the reading ばけ is unambiguous.
The noun 化け is derived from the verb 化ける (ばける, 'to transform, disguise oneself'). The kanji 化 means 'change' or 'transform'.
mojibake; text corruption; garbled characters
parity check