attractive, bewitching, calamity
On'yomi (音読み)
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- あや.しい
- なま.めく
- わざわ.い
About this kanji
The kanji 妖 has meanings related to attraction and enchantment, often carrying a sense of the mysterious or supernatural. It is frequently used as a noun but can also be part of verbs. A few common compounds include 妖怪 (ようかい), which means ghost, 妖精 (ようせい), meaning fairy, and 妖艶 (ようえん), which translates to fascinating or bewitching. These words often relate to beautiful yet eerie beings or phenomena. When you see 妖, think of things that are both alluring and a little unsettling. This kanji is particularly popular in cultural contexts involving folklore and fantasy.
Example sentences
妖しい光が夜空に漂った。
A mysterious light floated in the night sky.
Meanings across languages
- English
- attractive, bewitching, calamity
- Tiếng Việt
- hấp dẫn, mê hoặc, tai họa
- 日本語
- 魅力的, 妖しい, 災難
- 한국어
- 매력적, 매혹적인, 재앙
- 中文
- 诱惑, 迷人, 灾难
- id
- menarik, mempesona
- th
- มีเสน่ห์, ดึงดูดใจ
- es
- atractivo, hechizante
- fr
- attractif, envoûtant
- de
- attraktiv, verführerisch
- pt
- atrativo, sedutor
Common compounds
- 妖怪ようかいghost, apparition, phantom
- 妖精ようせいfairy, sprite, elf
- 妖艶ようえんfascinating, voluptuous, bewitching
- 妖術ようじゅつ(black) magic, witchcraft, sorcery
- 妖魔ようまghost, monster, demon
- 面妖めんようweird, strange, mysterious
- 妖女ようじょenchantress, vamp
- 妖気ようきominous atmosphere, ghostly air, weird air
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.