Japanese word

おばけ

Pronunciation

Romajiobake

Meaning

  • nounghost

Example

子どもたちはおばけを怖がります。ko do mo ta chi wa o ba ke o kowa ga ri ma su

Children are afraid of ghosts.

Illustration for おばけ (ghost)

More examples

映画の中でおばけが突然現れます。ei ga no naka de o ba ke ga totsu zen arawa re ma su

A ghost suddenly appears in the movie.

Core concept

Centers on a frightening presence that appears in a form outside ordinary human experience.

Common phrases

  • おばけが出るo ba ke ga de ru

    a ghost appears

  • おばけを怖がるo ba ke o kowa ga ru

    be afraid of ghosts

  • おばけの話o ba ke no hanashi

    ghost story

Similar words

幽霊yūrei: The spirit of a dead person that is believed to appear among the living.
妖怪yōkai: A supernatural creature from Japanese folklore, often with unusual powers or a strange appearance.
化け物bakemono: A frightening supernatural being, especially one that takes an unusual or nonhuman form.

Definition in Japanese

死者の霊などが、人の目に見える恐ろしい姿で現れたもの。shi sha no rei na do ga hito no me ni mi e ru oso ro shi i sugata de arawa re ta mo no

Word origin

おばけ (obake) combines the prefix お (o) with 化け (bake), the noun form of 化ける (bakeru, "to transform"), and originally refers to something transformed from its ordinary form.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English ghost, おばけ (obake) can also describe a frightening supernatural creature rather than only the spirit of a dead person.

Other meanings

  • apparitionnoun

Word lists with this word