亡霊|ぼうれいbourei[0]heiban (flat)

1. noundeparted spirit; soul of the dead
2. nounghost; apparition
   彼女かのじょは亡霊ぼうれいを見みて髪かみを逆立さかたてた。↗

   When she saw the ghost, her hair stood on end.

• SynonymゴーストNeutralLoanword for ghosts; also unwanted double images in TV pictures or photos. Western-flavored or figurative, while 「亡霊」 suggests a spirit that haunts and works harm.
• Synonym亡者もうじゃNeutralThe dead as people; also someone blindly obsessed with something, as in 「金の亡者」, a person enslaved by money.
• Synonym幽霊ゆうれいNeutralEveryday word for ghosts; also a grudge-bearing dead spirit lingering in this world, overlapping with 「亡霊」. 「亡霊」 is more written and can also mean a lingering old force.
• Synonym妖怪ようかいNeutralMonsters of folk legend and belief. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Synonym死霊しりょうWrittenWritten style: the soul of a dead person parted from its body; stresses the spirit of the deceased.
• Synonym亡魂ぼうこんWrittenLiterary and old-fashioned: the soul of the dead, especially one that cannot attain Buddhahood. Close to 「亡霊」 in meaning but little used.
• Synonym幽鬼ゆうきWrittenWritten and uncommon: departed souls, and by extension demons and monsters. It lacks the sense of a haunting, lingering spirit that 「亡霊」 carries.
• Synonym亡き魂なきたまWrittenArchaic and literary: the soul of the departed. Rare, and without the haunting, lingering nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Synonym幽魂ゆうこんWrittenWritten and archaic: spirits of the dead. Little used, and without the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• RelatedおばけCasualColloquial word for ghosts and monsters; carries a childish ring. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Related化け物ばけものNeutralMonsters and demons; also figuratively a person of extraordinary ability. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Related霊れいWrittenThe same word as the previous entry, also written 霊; mountain demons transformed from spirits and monsters; not specifically a spirit of the dead, unlike 「亡霊」.
• Related魂たましいNeutralSoul or spirit, but also mind, willpower and vitality; much broader in use. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Related悪霊あくりょうNeutralA spirit of the dead that haunts and harms people; overlaps with 「亡霊」 but stresses malice and the harm done.
• Related魔物まものNeutralDemonic creatures; also figuratively something that bewitches people. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• RelatedガイストWrittenGerman loanword for spirit or soul; very rare.
• Related物の怪もののけNeutralVengeful spirits that work harm, and monsters; has a classical flavor. It lacks the lingering nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Related魑魅ちみWrittenWritten word for mountain demons and goblins formed from spirits or monsters, mostly in 「魑魅魍魎」; not specifically a spirit of the dead, unlike 「亡霊」.
• Related生き霊いきりょうNeutralA vengeful spirit born from a living person's grudge; centers on the living, and lacks the lingering nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Related妖魔ようまWrittenWritten word for demons and monsters. It lacks the haunting nuance of 「亡霊」.
• Antonym生者せいしゃWrittenAntonym: the living. It stands opposite 「亡霊」, the spirit of the dead.

Use 「亡霊」 for a spirit of the dead — often one that haunts and harms the living — or for a lingering old force that keeps acting after losing its substance or power, as in 「過去の亡霊」. In everyday speech say 「幽霊」; for a Western flavor say 「ゴースト」; for monsters of legend use 「お化け」 or 「妖怪」. The antonym is 「生者」, the living.

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

1. 死者ししゃの霊れい。生者しょうじゃに害がいを加くわえるものを指さす場合ばあいが多おおい。
2. 実体じったいや勢力せいりょくを失うしなったにもかかわらず活動かつどうを続つづけているものや、得体えたいの知しれないもの等とうのたとえ。