Japanese word

神話

Pronunciation

Romajishinwa

Meaning

  • nounmyth

Example

この神話は何を表していますか。ko no shin wa wa nan o arawa shi te i ma su ka

What does this myth represent?

Illustration for 神話 (myth)

More examples

この地域には、海の神話がいくつも残っています。ko no chi iki ni wa umi no shin wa ga i ku tsu mo noko tte i ma su

Several myths about the sea have survived in this region.

Core concept

Describes a traditional story that explains gods, origins, or the nature of a people and its world.

Common phrases

  • 神話を語るshin wa o kata ru

    tell a myth

  • 神話を読むshin wa o yo mu

    read a myth

  • 神話に登場するshin wa ni tō jō su ru

    appear in a myth

Similar words

伝説densetsu: A traditional story about people or events that may be based on a real past.
民話minwa: A traditional story shared among ordinary people and passed down through generations.

Definition in Japanese

神々や世界の起源などを説明する、ある民族や文化に伝えられてきた物語。kami gami ya se kai no ki gen na do o setsu mei su ru a ru min zoku ya bun ka ni tsuta e ra re te ki ta monogatari

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 神話 (shinwa) combines 神 (shin, "god") and 話 (wa, "story"), forming a term for stories about gods and divine origins.

Usage tips

  • In English, myth can mean either a traditional sacred story or a widely believed but untrue idea, so context distinguishes the two senses.

Other meanings

  • mythologynoun

Related words

  • 神話的shinwatekimythicna-adjective
  • 神話化shinwakamythologizationnoun

Word lists with this word