預言者
yogensha
The English word "seer" is translated into Japanese as 預言者 (yogensha).
預言者 is used to describe a person who delivers divine messages or foretells the future, most commonly within a religious or biblical context.
Meaning: someone who foretells the future (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 預言者 is composed of the characters 預 (predict/foretell), 言 (word/say) and 者 (person/one who does).
Which one should you use?
While 預言者 (yogensha) often implies a religious prophet, its homophone 予言者 (yogensha) refers more generally to a person who predicts or foretells events, such as a fortune teller.
How do you pronounce it?
yogensha
Did you know?
- The character 預 in 預言者 shares a root with the word for 'deposit' or 'entrust', suggesting the seer is entrusted with a message from a higher power.
- In Japanese, the distinction between a 'prophet' and a 'fortune teller' is often a distinction between 'divine revelation' and 'logical calculation'.
- While the English 'seer' relates to sight, the kanji in 預言者 focuses on the 'words' being delivered, shifting the emphasis from vision to oral transmission.
Examples in context
- 昨日、占い師に未来を占ってもらった。Yesterday, I had a seer predict my future.
- あの占い師さんは当たると評判だよ。That seer is reputed to be accurate.
- 今度の週末に占い屋に行こう。Let's go to the seer's shop this weekend.
- 彼は古代の預言者だ。Kare wa kodai no yogensha da.He is an ancient seer.
- その預言者は未来を語った。Sono yogensha wa mirai o katatta.The seer spoke of the future.
- 伝説の預言者を探している。Densetsu no yogensha o sagashite iru.I am looking for the legendary seer.
Example conversation
Daishou and Yui are discussing a fantasy movie.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの映画の預言者はすごいね。kono eiga no yogensha wa sugoi ne.The seer in this movie is amazing.
- 結衣 Yui本当に、全部当たったしね。hontou ni, zenbu atatta shi ne.True, everything they predicted came true.
- 大翔 Hiroto現実にも預言者がいたらいいな。genjitsu ni mo yogensha ga itara ii na.I wish there were seers in real life too.
- 結衣 Yuiそれはちょっと怖すぎるよ。sore wa chotto kowasugiru yo.That's a bit too scary.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 預言者, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
