How to say "resurrection" in Japanese

• 回生かいせいCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers resuscitation and coming back to life more than grand 'resurrection'; it is really the word for being revived or brought back from near death, so it is seldom the best choice for the religious or general sense.
• 甦よみがえCommon
  nounMeans resurrection in the sense of coming back to life, with a literary flavor; fits dramatic or narrative contexts where someone or something returns from death, rather than technical or everyday use.
• 復活ふっかつJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe general word for resurrection, covering both rising from the dead and rebirth or revival; it is the usual choice for religious resurrection and also extends metaphorically to comebacks and restorations.
  いわば彼かれは死しから復活ふっかつしたのだ。↗

  He rose from the dead, so to speak.

Use 復活 for the standard sense of rising from the dead or a revival, 甦 for literary coming-back-to-life, and 回生 chiefly for resuscitation or being brought back to life rather than religious resurrection.

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

• 回生かいせいresurrection
• 甦よみがえresurrection
• 蘇りよみがえりresurrection
• リザレクションresurrection
• 復活ふっかつresurrection