Japanese

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 精霊 on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
せい
Grade: 5
れい
Grade: S
kan'on
Alternative spelling
精靈 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 精靈 (MC tsjengH leng, literally “essence, spirit, soul + soul, spirit”). The kan'on, so likely a later borrowing.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(せい)(れい) (seirei

  1. the spirit or soul of a thing
    Synonyms: (“spirit, energy, essence of a thing”) 精気 (seiki), (“soul” in general) (tamashii)
  2. the soul of someone who has died
    Synonyms: (“soul, spirit”, generally of a person) 霊魂 (reikon), (“soul” in general) (tamashii)
  3. a supernatural spirit
    • 1999 July 5, “ドリアード [Dryade]”, in BOOSTER 3, Konami:
      (もり)(せい)(れい)(くさ)()(ちから)()りて(あい)()(うご)きを(ふう)じる。
      Mori no seirei. Kusaki no chikara o karite aite no ugoki o fūjiru.
      A forest spirit. She borrows the life force of plants to block her opponents’ movements.
Usage notes
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Not to be confused with 聖霊 (Seirei, Holy Spirit).

Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
しょう
Grade: 5
りょう
Grade: S
goon
Alternative spelling
精靈 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 精靈 (MC tsjengH leng, literally “essence, spirit, soul + soul, spirit”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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(しょう)(りょう) (shōryōしやうりやう (syauryau)?

  1. (Buddhism) the soul of someone who has died
    Synonyms: (“soul, spirit”, generally of a person) 霊魂 (reikon), (“soul” in general) (tamashii)
  2. (Buddhism) short for 精霊祭り (Shōryō matsuri), a festival honoring one's ancestors, held mainly on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month
  3. (Buddhism) short for 精霊蜻蛉 (Shōryō tonbo), general name given to various kinds of dragonfly that often appear around the time of the Shōryō Matsuri
Derived terms
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See also

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN