鬼
oni[o̞ɲ̟i]
The English word 'ogre' can be translated into Japanese as 鬼 (oni) or オーガ.
Meaning: brutish giant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 鬼 | oni | [o̞ɲ̟i] (narrow) |
| オーガ | ōga | [o̞ːɡa̠] (narrow) |
The term refers to a brutish giant.
Which one should you use?
Use 鬼 (oni) when referring to traditional Japanese folklore demons. In contrast, use the loanword オーガ (ōga) to denote Western-style ogres, which is common in fantasy literature and video games.
How do you pronounce it?
oni
Did you know?
- In modern Japanese slang, 鬼 is used as an intensifier meaning 'extremely' or 'very', such as 鬼かわいい for something that is 'insanely cute'.
- The traditional Japanese game oni-gokko is the equivalent of the English game of 'tag', where the person who is 'it' is called the oni.
- The word 鬼 is thought by some linguists to originate from the Old Japanese verb on, meaning 'to hide', suggesting these creatures were originally seen as beings hidden from sight.
Examples in context
- 昔話には鬼が出てきます。Mukashibanashi ni wa oni ga detekimasu.Ogres appear in old folktales.
- あの鬼はとても大きいです。Ano oni wa totemo ookii desu.That ogre is very large.
- 鬼の絵を描きました。Oni no e o kakimashita.I drew a picture of an ogre.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a picture book in a library.
- 結衣 Yuiこの鬼、怖くない？Kono oni, kowakunai?Isn't this ogre scary?
- 蓮 Ren全然怖くないよ。Zenzen kowakunai yo.It's not scary at all.
- 結衣 Yui蓮君は、鬼が好き？Ren-kun wa, oni ga suki?Ren, do you like ogres?
- 蓮 Renうん、かっこいいと思う。Un, kakkoii to omou.Yeah, I think they are cool.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ogre” translations and entries 鬼, オーガ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries オーガ, 鬼, CC BY-SA 4.0.
