精せい霊れい

せ

い

れ

い

Meanings

Refers to a disembodied spirit, soul of the dead, or supernatural entity. Can be used in religious, folkloric, or metaphorical contexts.

森もりには精せい霊れいが住すんでいると言いわれている。
It is said that spirits live in the forest.
彼かの女じょは亡なき祖そ母ぼの精せい霊れいを感かんじた。
She felt the spirit of her late grandmother.

Kanji

精refined, ghost, fairy
霊spirits, soul

Related words

妖よう精せい
精霊 is a broader, more solemn term for spirits or elemental beings, while 妖精 specifically evokes small, whimsical Western-style fairies.
霊れい
精霊 refers to a nature spirit or elemental being tied to a place or object, while 霊 more generally denotes any soul or spirit, especially of the deceased.

Don't confuse with

聖せい霊れい
聖霊 refers specifically to the Christian Holy Spirit, while 精霊 (also read せいれい) means a nature spirit or soul in folk or animist belief, so despite sharing a reading they denote very different concepts.
精しょう霊りょう
精霊 read せいれい means a nature or elemental spirit (as in animism or fantasy), while 精霊 read しょうりょう specifically means the spirit of a deceased person in Buddhist Obon rites.
精せい神しんN3
精霊 refers to a nature spirit or ghost, while 精神 refers to the human mind, mentality, or willpower, so they should not be confused despite both being translated as 'spirit'.

Word family

精せい霊れい主しゅ義ぎ
spiritism
精せい霊れい信しん仰こう
animism
精せい霊れい崇すう拝はい
spiritism; ancestor worship

Etymology

Compound of 精 (pure, refined, spirit) and 霊 (spirit, soul). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has long been used to refer to spiritual entities.