How to say "shaman" in Japanese

• シャーマンCommon
  nounThe direct loanword and the common, general-purpose term for a shaman. Use it in most contexts, from talk about shamans in other cultures to anthropology and fiction.
• ゆた
  nounA shaman in the Okinawa and Amami islands, where the word also covers mediums and exorcists. Use it only when writing about the folk religion of those regions, not as a general term.
  ネッドはユタ州ゆたしゅうの出身しゅっしん。↗

  Ned comes from the state of Utah.
• 巫覡ふげき
  nounA two-character word covering shaman, oracle, diviner and medium. Less common than シャーマン, it is seldom the word you need; you will mostly meet it in written or scholarly contexts.
• いたこ
  nounChiefly a necromancer or medium, especially a blind female one in northeastern Honshu. Use it for that specific figure, not as a general word for shaman.
• 巫かんなぎ
  nounA native word for a medium or diviner, with shaman and oracle also among its senses. Less common, it is mostly met in writing about traditional religious practice.

Choose 「シャーマン」 for the general sense; 「ゆた」 is specific to Okinawa and Amami, 「いたこ」 names necromancers, especially blind women of northeastern Honshu, and 巫覡 and 巫 are less common words for mediums, diviners and oracles.

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

• シャーマンshaman
• ゆたshaman (Okinawa, Amami)
• 巫覡ふげきshaman
• いたこnecromancer (esp. a blind female in northeastern Honshu)
• 巫かんなぎmedium
• 祈祷師きとうしmedicine man
• 呪術師じゅじゅつしwitch doctor