Japanese symbol for “apparition”
幻
まぼろし
Romaji: maboroshi
phantom; vision; illusion; apparition
In Japanese, apparition is 幻, read まぼろし (maboroshi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-no, n phantom; vision; illusion; apparition
- adj-no, n something fleeting; short-lived dream
- adj-no, n fabled item; mythical thing; very rare thing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “apparition”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 幽霊 | ゆうれい yuurei | ghost; specter; spectre |
| 妖怪 | ようかい youkai | ghost; apparition; phantom |
| お化け | おばけ obake | ghost; apparition |
| 化け物 | ばけもの bakemono | goblin; apparition; monster |
| 魔物 | まもの mamono | demon; devil; evil spirit |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 幻想 | げんそう gensou | fantasy; illusion; vision |
| 幻覚 | げんかく genkaku | hallucination; illusion |
| 幻影 | げんえい gen'ei | phantom; vision; illusion |
| 夢幻 | むげん mugen | dreams; fantasy; visions |
| 幻滅 | げんめつ genmetsu | disillusionment; disillusion; disenchantment |
| 変幻 | へんげん hengen | transformation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “apparition”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.