How to say "spectre" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

幽霊ゆうれいJLPT N1approx.Common
nounThe spirit of a dead person appearing to the living; this is the word for 'spectre' as a haunting ghost, a pale figure glimpsed in an old house or on a dark road.
その家いえには幽霊ゆうれいが出でるといわれる。↗
The house is said to be haunted.
妖怪ようかいCommon
nounFor 'spectre' in the sense of a phantom or uncanny apparition: a supernatural creature of folklore and legend rather than the spirit of one particular dead person, as in old tales of monsters.
一いち匹ひきの妖怪ようかいがヨーロッパを徘徊はいかいしている。共産主義きょうさんしゅぎという妖怪ようかいが。↗
A spectre is haunting Europe ― the spectre of communism.
化け物ばけものCommon
nounReally 'monster' or 'goblin' — a frightening, unnatural creature. It is seldom the word you want for 'spectre': choose it only when the emphasis falls on something monstrous rather than on a ghostly apparition.
その建物たてものは化け物ばけものみたいだ。↗
The building is a monstrous structure.

Use 幽霊 for the ghost of a dead person, 妖怪 for a phantom or uncanny creature of folklore, and 「化け物」 only when you really mean a monster rather than a spectre.

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

Japanese equivalents

幽霊ゆうれいghost
妖怪ようかいghost
化け物ばけものgoblin
スペクターspectre
物の怪もののけevil spirit
妖鬼ようきghost
怪異かいいghost
曲者くせものgoblin

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