鬼
guǐ/ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/
In Chinese, the word for ghost is 鬼 (guǐ). Wiktionary also lists 鬼魂 (guǐhùn) and 幽魂 (yōuhún).
Meaning: spirit appearing after death (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 鬼 | guǐ | /ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /kuei⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
| 鬼魂 | guǐhùn | /ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯ən³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯əɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA) |
| 幽魂 | yōuhún | /joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ən³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯əɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA) |
| 幽靈 / 幽灵 | yōulíng |
The term refers to a spirit appearing after death. In colloquial spoken Chinese, 鬼 is frequently used in idiomatic expressions to mean 'deceptive' or 'tricky', such as in the phrase 鬼鬼祟祟 (acting suspiciously).
Which one should you use?
The single character 鬼 is the most common and colloquial way to refer to a ghost, whereas 鬼魂 is more formal or literary. 幽靈 / 幽灵 is often used in a more literary or cinematic sense, such as describing a 'phantom' or a 'specter' in a story.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form гуй is used in Dungan.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is guǐ (/ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/).
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese folk belief, ghosts were often thought to be 'hungry', leading to the custom of the 'Hungry Ghost Festival' where food is offered to spirits.
- The character 鬼 was originally a pictogram of a kneeling figure wearing an ugly mask. This visual representation suggests that the concept of a ghost was originally tied to the idea of a person wearing a terrifying disguise.
- In Chinese culture, the word 鬼 can be used as a playful suffix for people with specific habits, such as 色鬼 for a lecher or 淘氣鬼 for a mischievous child.
Examples in context
- 齊里報警說有鬼。Ziri called the cops for a ghost.This sentence shows how to use 鬼 when reporting a sighting to the police.Tatoeba #13860181 by LeviHighway, translation #11212541 by Amastan
- 伊萬看得見鬼魂。Ivan can see the ghost spirits.This sentence illustrates the use of 鬼 when describing someone who can see spirits.Tatoeba #13860190 by LeviHighway, translation #11829899 by Amastan
- 這個城堡也有一個鬼。This castle also has a ghost.This sentence demonstrates how to state that a location is haunted using 鬼.Tatoeba #5694116 by xjjAstrus, translation #7837700 by sharris123
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Jiayi are walking through a dark park at night.
- 浩然 Haoran這裡好像有鬼。zhè lǐ hǎo xiàng yǒu guǐ.It feels like there is a ghost here.
- 佳怡 Jiayi別說了，我害怕。bié shuō le, wǒ hài pà.Stop saying that, I'm scared.
- 浩然 Haoran我只是想開個玩笑。wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng kāi gè wán xiào.I was just trying to joke around.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你這個大笨蛋。nǐ zhè gè dà bèn dàn.You big dummy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ghost” translations and entries 鬼, 鬼魂, 幽魂, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 鬼, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
