魔女
majo[ma̠ʑo̞]
The Japanese word for witch is 魔女 (majo).
魔女 is used to refer to a person who uses magic. In Japanese media, it is often used for characters with a more mystical or fairy-tale quality, whereas terms like 呪術師 are used for more serious or dark practitioners of sorcery/curses.
Meaning: person who uses magic (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 魔女 is composed of the kanji 魔, meaning magic or demon and 女, meaning woman.
Which one should you use?
While 魔女 specifically refers to a female witch, 魔法使い is a gender-neutral term for a magic user.
How do you pronounce it?
majo
Did you know?
- While 魔女 sounds like a Western fantasy term, its roots trace back to Middle Chinese, meaning the concept of the 'witch' was integrated into Japanese long before Western-style fantasy literature arrived.
- The word for 'witch' is often used metaphorically in Japanese to describe women who possess an almost supernatural, captivating, or even dangerous charm.
- In Japanese pop culture, the term 魔女 often carries a connotation of being an independent or exiled woman, reflecting the 'witch' archetype of living alone in a forest.
Examples in context
- あの子、魔女じゃないかな。I think she's a witch.This sentence is useful for expressing a suspicion about someone being a 魔女.Tatoeba #10502097 by small_snow, translation #5388584 by Hybrid
- 301号室には、魔女が住んでるんです。There's a witch living in Apartment 301.This sentence describes a witch living in a specific location using 魔女.Tatoeba #11582430 by small_snow, translation #10932609 by sabretou
- 意地悪な魔女は、男に悪い魔法をかけ、虫に変えてしまいました。The wicked witch cast an evil spell on the man and turned him into an insect.This sentence shows how a wicked 魔女 uses magic, using the form 魔女.Tatoeba #10794461 by bunbuku, translation #28200 by CK
- 魔女の伝説は古代から存在します。The legend of witches has existed since ancient times.
- 魔女さんの魔法は素晴らしいですね。The witch's magic is amazing, isn't it?
- あのキャラクターは本当に魔術師みたいだ。That character really looks like a witch/sorcerer.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a fantasy movie they just watched.
- 健太 Kentaあの映画に出てくる魔女は強かったね。Ano eiga ni detekuru majo wa tsuyokatta ne.The witch in that movie was strong, wasn't she?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、すごくかっこいい魔女だったよ。Un, sugoku kakkoii majo datta yo.Yeah, she was a really cool witch.
- 健太 Kenta美咲は、どんな魔女が好き？Misaki wa, donna majo ga suki?Misaki, what kind of witch do you like?
- 美咲 Misaki私は優しい魔女が好きだな。Watashi wa yasashii majo ga suki dana.I like kind witches.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witch” translations and entries 魔女, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 魔女, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
