How to say "angel" in Japanese

• 天使てんしCommon
  no-adjectiveCovers the central sense: the spiritual being of religion and folklore, extended metaphorically to a sweet or kind person. When you need the word for the angel itself, this is the usual choice.
  黒くろい天使てんしは、その漆黒しっこくの翼つばさを大おおきく広ひろげて、空そらへと舞い上まいあがる。↗

  The black angel spread those jet-black wings wide and flew up into the sky.
• エンジェルCommon
  nounThe loanword from English. It is at home in names, titles, and phrasing that keeps an English flavor; in meaning it overlaps with 天使, which is the usual word for the religious being itself.

For the religious or folkloric being and everyday metaphor, 天使 is the usual choice; 「エンジェル」, the loanword from English, is at home in names, titles, and English-flavored phrasing, though the two overlap in meaning.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 天使てんしangel
• エンジェルangel
• み使いみつかいangel
• 天の使いてんのつかいangel