鬼|おにoni[2]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounogre; demon; oni
2. nounspirit of a deceased person
3. nounogre-like person (i.e. fierce, relentless, merciless, etc.)
4. nounit (in a game of tag, hide-and-seek, etc.); seeker; chaser; tagger; tigger
5. noun, astronomyChinese "ghost" constellation (one of the 28 mansions)
6. prefixvery; extremely; super-

• Synonym魔物まものNeutralA general word for demonic, uncanny things; also a metaphor for an elusive, unpredictable force, as in 「甲子園には魔物が棲む」. 「鬼」 has a concrete image.
• Synonym悪鬼あっきWrittenWritten word for an evil spirit that haunts and harms people; it stresses wickedness more than 「鬼」 and appears mostly in Buddhist writings and legends.
• Synonym邪鬼じゃきWrittenWritten term for evil gods, spirits and vengeful ghosts that haunt people, often the small demons trampled underfoot in Buddhist statuary; in daily speech say 「鬼」.
• Related悪魔あくまNeutralThe devil: covers the Christian Satan and the Buddhist Māra that hinders practice, and figuratively a thoroughly evil person; 「鬼」 is a creature of Japanese legend.
• RelatedおばけCasualColloquial for ghosts and monsters, used with children or in lighthearted contexts like 「お化け屋敷」; 「鬼」 is a specific legendary being, figuratively a cold or driven person.
• Related化け物ばけものNeutralA general term for monsters and apparitions; also used figuratively of someone with astounding ability, as in 「化け物みたいな体力」. 「鬼」 is a specific legendary creature.
• Related魔まNeutralAn evil force that hinders people from doing good; also a suffix for someone obsessed with something, as in 「電話魔」. Unlike 「鬼」, it has no concrete image.
• Related怪物かいぶつNeutralA frightening creature of unknown identity; figuratively a person of extraordinary ability, as in 「政界の怪物」. 「鬼」 means a cold person or, as in 「仕事の鬼」, a driven worker.
• RelatedモンスターNeutralLoanword for monsters; also a metaphor for an unreasonable, hard-to-deal-with person, as in 「モンスターペアレント」. 「鬼」 is a traditional creature of Japanese folklore.
• Related妖魔ようまWrittenWritten word covering demons and evil creatures generally, common in fantasy fiction; 「鬼」 is a specific creature of Japanese legend, also a metaphor for a cold person.
• Related天魔てんまWrittenBuddhist term for the demon king of the sixth heaven who hinders good deeds; rare in daily life. Like 「鬼」 it is an evil being, but the two are not the same concept.
• Related魔王まおうNeutralThe king of demons and evil beings, common in games and fantasy, as in 「魔王を倒す」. A related concept, but it cannot replace 「鬼」.
• Related魔神まじんWrittenWritten word for a god that brings calamity, common in fantasy fiction. A divine being, whereas 「鬼」 is a legendary monster; the two are related but distinct concepts.
• Related邪神じゃしんWrittenWritten word for an evil god that brings calamity, used in mythology and religion. A god rather than a legendary creature, so it is only loosely related to 「鬼」.

Use 「鬼」 for the ogre of Japanese legend and figuratively for a cold, relentless person. For the devil or demons use 「悪魔」; for ghosts and monsters 「お化け」 or 「化け物」; for fantasy monsters 「モンスター」 or 「魔物」. 「怪物」 covers frightening creatures and exceptional people, 「魔王」 is the demon king of games and fantasy, 「魔」 is also a suffix for the obsessed; the rest are written or specialized terms.

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

1. （おに）日本にっぽんにおける代表的だいひょうてきな伝説でんせつ上じょうの生物せいぶつ。世の中よのなかに災厄さいやくを与あたえる妖怪ようかいとしての存在そんざいの他た、地獄じごくの獄卒ごくそつとされる。
2. （おに）冷酷れいこく非情ひじょうな人ひとのたとえ。
3. （おに）特とくに勝負事しょうぶごとにおいて、すば抜ぬけた能力のうりょくや集中力しゅうちゅうりょくを有ゆうする人ひとや動物どうぶつ。
4. （おに）遊戯ゆうぎにおいて、（一時的いちじてきに）他たの遊戯ゆうぎ者しゃと別べつの不名誉ふめいよな役やくをつとめる人ひと。