also: こうせん
underworld; land of the dead; Hades
Refers to the mythological realm of the dead in Japanese tradition, often contrasted with the living world. Used in classical and literary contexts.
In the Kojiki, there is a story about Izanami going to the land of the dead.
underground spring
Only with reading こうせん
Obsolete original meaning, read as こうせん. Not used in modern Japanese.
When read as こうせん, 黄泉 refers to an old usage meaning an underground spring.
path to the underworld; road to Hades · underworld; Hades; hell
be resurrected; be revived; come back to life
Standard kanji spelling for the mythological underworld, read as よみ (gikun/jukujikun).
Rare on'yomi reading used for the obsolete 'underground spring' sense.
The reading よみ is a jukujikun (special kanji reading) for 黄泉, a native Japanese word for the underworld. The on'yomi こうせん originally meant 'underground spring' and is now obsolete.