noun
Enma; Yama; King of Hell
In Buddhism, the judge of the dead who presides over hell. Often appears in phrases like 閻魔帳 (Enma's ledger) or 閻魔様 (Lord Enma).
閻魔大王は死者の生前の行いを裁く。
King Enma judges the deeds of the dead.
あの先生は閻魔のように怖い。
That teacher is as scary as Enma.
A figurative ledger where Enma records people's deeds; often used humorously for a teacher's grade book.
From Sanskrit Yama, via Chinese 閻魔 (Yánmó). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the Buddhist deity.