サキュバス
sakyubasu[sa̠kʲɨba̠sɨ]
The English word 'succubus' is translated into Japanese as サキュバス (sakyubasu) or 夢魔.
Meaning: female demon (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| サキュバス | sakyubasu | [sa̠kʲɨba̠sɨ] (narrow) |
| 夢魔 | muma | [mɯ̟ma̠] (narrow) |
The term refers to a female demon. In Japanese media, サキュバス is frequently used as a character archetype or class in fantasy settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 夢魔 is composed of the characters for 'dream' (夢) and 'demon/magic' (魔), literally meaning 'dream demon'.
Which one should you use?
The katakana form サキュバス is a direct loanword from English and is most commonly used in modern pop culture like anime and manga. The kanji form 夢魔 (muma) is a more traditional or literary way to refer to a succubus, literally meaning 'dream demon'.
How do you pronounce it?
sakyubasu
Did you know?
- While サキュバス describes a female demon, the term 夢魔 is gender-neutral and can refer to either a succubus or an incubus.
- The English word 'succubus' comes from the Latin 'succubare', meaning 'to lie under'. Interestingly, the Japanese term 夢魔 focuses entirely on the 'dream' aspect of the myth, omitting any reference to the physical act described in the Latin root.
- Because サキュバス is a phonetic transcription, it is treated as a foreign concept. This distinguishes it from traditional Japanese folklore creatures like the 'yokai', which have their own indigenous names and categories.
Examples in context
- ゲームに出てくるサキュバスはとても美しい。Gēmu ni detekuru sakyubasu wa totemo utsukushii.The succubus in the game is very beautiful.
- あの物語にはサキュバスが登場する。Ano monogatari ni wa sakyubasu ga tōjō suru.A succubus appears in that story.
- サキュバスは夜に現れるという。Sakyubasu wa yoru ni arawareru to iu.They say a succubus appears at night.
Example conversation
Discussing characters in a fantasy novel.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの本の悪役はサキュバスなの？Kono hon no akuyaku wa sakyubasu nano?Is the villain in this book a succubus?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、とても強いサキュバスだよ。Un, totemo tsuyoi sakyubasu dayo.Yes, she's a very powerful succubus.
- 大翔 Hirotoかっこいいデザインだね。Kakkoii dezain dane.The design is cool.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に魅力的だと思うよ。Hontō ni miryokuteki da to omou yo.I think she's really charming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “succubus” translations and entries サキュバス, 夢魔, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries サキュバス, CC BY-SA 4.0.
