Student "Teacher! What is the difference between youkai and ghosts?" 

I am a Japanese teacher in Japan, but I often talk about youkai in class.

Then, sometimes students ask me, "Are youkai and ghosts all the same?"

Japanese people can't explain youkai and ghosts, but you can see that they are different, but when it comes to defining them, it's a difficult question 😞

This time, I will briefly explain it.

Are they all the same?

Ghosts are also called "Obake" in Japan.

"Obake" is a word that has changed from "Bakemono".

Bakemono　is things to transform or things to transformed.

Both youkai and ghosts can be transformed or are the result of being transformed.

For example, in the case of youkai, "foxes" and "raccoon dogs" are famous as to transform, and ghosts are born as ghosts by dying in the first place.

As you can see, both youkai and ghosts are one of the big categories called Bakemono.

Youkai and ghosts

As I mentioned in "What is a youkai?" In this blog, I'm not sure about youkai, but they are scary with special powers.

https://japaneselanguagelife.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-is-youkai.html

That being said, ghosts are also scary beings who use power that people do not have, such as cursing and killing people.

In addition, ghosts have traditionally been considered part of youkai because ghosts turn into youkai and the true identity of youkai is ghosts.

However, recently, there is a theory that it may be different from the nature.

The figure below is a summary for easy understanding.

↑ Relationship between youkai and ghosts so far

↑ Relationship between new youkai and ghosts　※Yellow areas have both properties such as animal spirits.

Differences in the nature of youkai and ghosts

Recently, I said that the relationship between youkai and ghosts is treated differently depending on their personality. What is the difference?　All the way

It ’s the difference between killing and not killing.

Many youkai have biological properties and are often killed in extermination.

The famous story is about "Shuten-doji", the demon's master. "Shuten-doji" was decapitated and killed.

Even in the recent boom in Japan, "Kimetsu no Yaiba," demons can be killed by cutting their necks with a special sword, the "Nichirin sword."

From the anime "Kimetsu no Yaiba"

On the other hand, ghosts are born by dying.

You can't kill what's dead anymore.

In ghost extermination, ghosts are often made into Buddhahood or sealed.

It's a little old manga, but in "Jigoku Sensei Nube", the ghost was extinguished by the demon's hand, which is the main character Nube.

From Jump Comics "Jigoku Sensei Nube"

Extinction is different from killing because it is not killing but erasing its existence.

sum up

・Youkai and ghosts are also one of the "Bakemono"

・As a way of distinguishing, youkai can be killed, but ghosts cannot.