spell; incantation; magic words
Refers to a set of words believed to have magical power when spoken or chanted, often in fantasy, games, or traditional rituals.
魔法使いが呪文を唱えると、ドアが開いた。
When the wizard chanted the spell, the door opened.
The wizard chanted a spell and put the enemy to sleep.
In this game, you can get items by entering certain magic words.
The witch cast a spell on the prince and turned him into a frog.
The spell took effect right away, and the room became bright.
The hero broke the old spell and saved the princess.
まじない is a broader folk term covering charms and ritual actions as well as words, while 呪文 focuses narrowly on the spoken formula itself.
真言 is a specific Buddhist mantra chanted for spiritual power, while 呪文 is the general word for any magic spell, including in fantasy and games.
呪文 focuses on the actual chanted words or incantation used to invoke magic, while 呪い refers to the harmful magical effect or curse itself.
呪い (のろい) is a curse meant to harm someone, whereas 呪文 (じゅもん) is neutral and simply means the magic words themselves, which can be used for good or ill.
呪文 is a magical incantation or spell chanted for personal effect, whereas 祭文 is a formal address recited to the gods in a Shinto ceremony.
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and common writing.
呪 (ju, 'curse' or 'spell') + 文 (mon, 'writing' or 'sentence'). The word originally referred to written or spoken formulas with supernatural power.