魂・霊・魄|たましいtamashii[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounsoul; spirit; mind
   魂たましいの吐息といきを感かんじ始はじめた。↗

   I'm feeling the breath of life.
2. nounwillpower; vitality
3. nounsomething as important as one's own life; something invaluable
4. suffix, nouninherent spirit of something; state of mindusu. as ～だましい

• Synonym心こころNeutralThe everyday word for feelings, thoughts and intentions — the most common of all. 「魂」 goes deeper: the soul that dwells in the body and governs life.
• Synonym精神せいしんNeutralMental activity as opposed to the body, and also principles or aims, as in 「建学の精神」. 「魂」 carries religious overtones or a sense of spirit and drive.
• Synonym霊魂れいこんWrittenWritten word for the soul that dwells in the body and lives on after death, mostly in religious or philosophical discussion. 「魂」 can also mean willpower and drive.
• SynonymスピリットNeutralLoanword usually meaning spirit or drive, as in 「チャレンジスピリット」; also usable in religious contexts. Can additionally mean distilled liquor.
• Synonym霊れいWrittenRead 「ちみ」: mountain demons and sprites formed from spirits, often paired with 「魍魎」. Related to 「魂」 only in the sense of an ethereal being.
• SynonymハートCasualColloquial loanword for the heart and feelings, also the heart shape and the hearts suit. Leans toward emotion and tenderness; 「魂」 toward the root of life and vigor.
• Synonym精霊しょうりょうWrittenRead 「しょうりょう」, it means the spirits of the dead, mostly in Obon-related expressions. 「魂」 covers the souls of both the living and the dead.
• Synonym心霊しんれいNeutralUsed mainly in paranormal contexts like 「心霊写真」 and 「心霊現象」 for ghosts and spirits. 「魂」 carries no such eerie connotation.
• SynonymソウルNeutralLoanword used mostly in compounds like soul music or 「ソウルフード」; rarely alone for the soul itself. In everyday speech 「魂」 remains the word to use.
• Synonym心魂しんこんWrittenLiterary word for body and mind in their entirety, one's full energies, seen in 「心魂を傾ける」. 「魂」 can refer to the soul alone.
• Synonym魂魄こんぱくWrittenLiterary word for the soul of the dead, with an archaic or religious flavor. 「魂」 also covers the spirit and drive of the living.
• Related精せいNeutralEnergy or essence, and also sprites and fairies. For vitality it appears in set phrases like 「精を出す」 and 「精がつく」; it does not mean the soul itself.
• RelatedエスプリWrittenFrench loanword for wit, cleverness, or a certain spirit or temperament, as in French-style esprit. Not used for the soul in the religious sense.
• RelatedマインドNeutralLoanword for mindset or awareness, common in business contexts like 「消費者マインド」. Does not refer to the soul.
• RelatedプシュケーWrittenGreek loanword for the mind or psyche, mostly in philosophical and psychological discussion; also the name of a mythological figure. Not used in daily speech.
• Antonym肉体にくたいNeutralAntonym: the flesh-and-blood body, opposed to 「魂」. The body–soul contrast is often phrased 「魂と肉体」.
• Antonym物質ぶっしつNeutralAntonym: tangible matter or material life, contrasted with mind and spirit. On the spirit-versus-matter axis it stands opposite 「魂」.

Everyday feelings and thoughts call for 「心」; the mind, principles or aims call for 「精神」. 「魂」 is the default for the soul itself and for vigor or what one holds dearest; in religious or philosophical writing prefer 「霊魂」. Loanwords such as 「スピリット」, 「ソウル」 and 「マインド」 stay mostly in compounds and set fields, while literary choices like 「心魂」, 「魂魄」 and 「精霊」 suit formal prose. 「肉体」 and 「物質」 are the opposites.

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

1. 人間にんげんの体からだに宿やどり、生命せいめいや意識いしきをつかさどると考かんがえられるもの。
2. 生いきるための力ちからや意欲いよく。
3. 自分じぶんの命いのちと同おなじくらい大事だいじな物ものや人ひと。
4. 物事ものごとの本質ほんしつや中心ちゅうしんとなる精神的せいしんてきな性質せいしつ。