呪文
jumon[d͡ʑɨmõ̞ɴ]
In Japanese, 'spell' can be translated as 呪文 (jumon), though this specific form refers to a magical incantation.
The term 呪文 is used to mean a magical incantation or a spell used in a supernatural context.
Meaning: to write or say the letters that form a word (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 呪文 is composed of the characters for 'curse/spell' (呪) and 'words/sentence' (文).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
jumon
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 呪文 to mean 'spelling a word' (for example, when asking 'How do you spell that?'), as it only refers to magical incantations.
Did you know?
- While 呪文 is the word for a magical spell, the act of spelling out a word is expressed as 綴る, which shares a root with the word for 'stitching' or 'sewing' together.
- In certain traditional contexts, a 'spell' or incantation might be referred to as おまじない (omajinai), which sounds much more playful and cute than the heavy 呪文 (jumon).
- In traditional Japanese folklore, 呪文 were often kept secret and passed down only to initiates, as the power resided in the exact phonetic sound rather than the meaning.
Examples in context
- 彼女は英単語をつづるのが得意です。She is good at spelling English words.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are studying English together.
- 蓮 Ren結衣、この単語をどう呪文するの？Yui, kono tango o dō jumon suru no?Yui, how do you spell this word?
- 結衣 YuiA-P-P-L-Eだよ。A-P-P-L-E dayo.It is A-P-P-L-E.
- 蓮 Renありがとう、正しい呪文がわかったよ。Arigatō, tadashii jumon ga wakatta yo.Thanks, now I know the correct spelling.
- 結衣 Yuiどういたしまして、蓮君。Dōitashimashite, Ren-kun.You are welcome, Ren.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 呪文, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
