霊|れいrei[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounsoul; spirit; departed soul; ghost
   これで彼かれの霊れいも浮うかばれるだろう。↗

   With this his spirit will be consoled.

• Synonym魂たましいNeutralNative word for the soul or spirit, as in 「魂を込める」; covers the living and the dead alike, while 「霊」 leans toward the supernatural spirit entity.
• Synonym霊魂れいこんWrittenWritten term for the soul, as in 「霊魂の不滅」; leans toward the religious or philosophical concept.
• SynonymスピリットNeutralLoanword for spirit as drive or mettle, as in 「チャレンジスピリット」; leans toward the mental side rather than ghosts.
• Synonym精霊しょうりょうNeutralA spirit such as 「森の精霊」; leans toward spirits dwelling in natural things.
• Synonym精神せいしんNeutralMind or spirit in the psychological sense, as in 「精神力」; has no ghost meaning.
• SynonymソウルNeutralLoanword for the soul, also soul music as in 「ソウルミュージック」; leans toward music and culture.
• Synonym魂魄こんぱくWrittenWritten term for the soul of the dead; carries a classical, Taoist flavor.
• Synonym亡き魂なきたまWrittenWritten term for the soul of the departed; classical, as seen in waka poetry.
• Related心霊しんれいWrittenWritten term for spirit or soul, mostly in 「心霊写真」「心霊スポット」; leans toward the paranormal.
• Related幽霊ゆうれいNeutralThe spirit of a dead person, typically pictured as one that appears and haunts, as in 「幽霊屋敷」; 「霊」 covers souls and spirits more generally.
• Related亡霊ぼうれいWrittenWritten term for a departed spirit, as in 「過去の亡霊」; often figurative for something that haunts and will not go away.
• RelatedゴーストNeutralLoanword for a ghost in the literal sense, but leaning toward figurative uses such as 「ゴーストタウン」 and technical ones like ghosting in images.
• Related精せいWrittenWritten term for a sprite or spirit, as in 「木の精」; also means vigor or energy.
• Related亡者もうじゃWrittenWritten term for the dead, or for a person obsessed with something, as in 「金の亡者」.
• Related死霊しりょうWrittenWritten term for the soul of the dead parted from its body; carries a horror tinge.
• Related亡魂ぼうこんWrittenWritten term for the soul of the dead; rarely used in modern Japanese.
• Related幽鬼ゆうきWrittenWritten term for a ghost or revenant; has a dark, eerie flavor.
• Related心魂しんこんWrittenWritten term for heart and soul, as in 「心魂を傾ける」; leans toward wholehearted devotion.
• Related生き霊いきりょうNeutralA vengeful spirit of a living person that haunts others; the counterpart of 「死霊」, the spirit of the dead.
• Related精霊せいれいNeutralA spirit such as 「森の精霊」; leans toward spirits dwelling in natural things.
• Antonym肉体にくたいNeutralThe flesh or body; the opposite of 「霊」 in the spirit-versus-flesh sense.
• Antonym物質ぶっしつWrittenWritten term for matter; the counterpart of the spiritual 「霊」.

Use 「霊」 for souls and spirit entities, as in 「霊を慰める」「先祖の霊」「霊感」. For a person's soul or spirit, 「魂」 is the everyday word and 「霊魂」 the formal, religious-philosophical one. A ghost that appears and frightens is 「幽霊」; paranormal talk takes 「心霊」. Among loanwords, 「スピリット」 is drive or mettle, 「ソウル」 is soul or soul music, and 「ゴースト」 is a ghost, often used figuratively as in 「ゴーストタウン」. The opposite of 「霊」 is 「肉体」.

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

1. （レイ）みたま。一般いっぱんに生物せいぶつ、特とくに人間にんげんが生いきている間あいだはその体内たいないにあって、生命せいめいの源みなもとや精神せいしんそのものとされる、人ひとや生物せいぶつの死生観しせいかんの根源こんげん的てきな解釈かいしゃくのための概念がいねん。生物せいぶつが死しぬと、肉体にくたいそのものは残のこっても動うごかなくなるのは、霊れいが離はなれたものと解釈かいしゃくされ、逆ぎゃくに、肉体にくたいが滅ほろんでも、霊れいはこの世よに残のこると解かいされるようになった。