also: あくれい
evil spirit; malevolent ghost
Refers to a harmful supernatural entity, often in religious, folkloric, or horror contexts.
It is said that an evil spirit dwells in that old mansion.
We had a purification ritual performed to drive away the evil spirit.
It seemed as if he had been possessed by an evil spirit.
The Shinto priest exorcised the evil spirit that had possessed the house.
I had a dream in which I was attacked by an evil spirit in the middle of the night.
悪魔 refers to a devil or demon, a distinct malevolent being, while 悪霊 is specifically the spirit of something that died.
魔物 covers any monstrous or supernatural creature with evil power, while 悪霊 is narrower, referring only to a malevolent disembodied spirit.
悪霊 specifically means a malevolent spirit or ghost haunting someone, whereas 魔 is a more general term for evil beings or influences.
守護霊 is a protective guardian spirit that watches over a person, the opposite of the harmful 悪霊.
亡霊 simply means the spirit of a dead person and is not inherently evil, unlike 悪霊 which is specifically malicious.
悪霊 is often counted with 体, the counter used for humanoid or spirit-like forms.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading あくりょう is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common than あくりょう.
Compound of 悪 (evil) and 霊 (spirit). The reading あくりょう is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi; あくれい is a less common variant.