Translation guide
A tale about ghosts, spirits, or supernatural events, often told to frighten or entertain.
A story about ghosts or supernatural events, often told for entertainment or to scare.
The most common and natural word for a ghost story, especially one told orally, often in a traditional or spooky setting.
A frightening story that may involve ghosts, monsters, or other scary elements.
A general term for 'scary story', which can include ghost stories but also other frightening tales.
夜に怖い話をするのはやめてください。
Please stop telling scary stories at night.
A classic or folkloric Japanese tale about ghosts, often with a moral or cultural significance.
Specifies a Japanese ghost story, often referring to traditional tales like those of Lafcadio Hearn.
日本の怪談には雪女のような有名な話がある。
In Japanese ghost stories, there are famous tales like the Snow Woman.
怪談 specifically refers to ghost stories, often with a traditional or oral storytelling nuance. 怖い話 is a broader term for any scary story, including those without ghosts.
怪談は幽霊が出てくる話だが、怖い話は殺人事件の話でもいい。
A kaidan is a story with ghosts, but a kowai hanashi can even be a story about a murder case.
In Japan, ghost stories are traditionally associated with summer, as the chill from fear was believed to help cool down in the heat. You'll often hear 怪談 in summer festivals or gatherings.
夏になると怪談を聞きたくなる。
When summer comes, I feel like listening to ghost stories.
彼は怪談を語るのが上手だ。
He is good at telling ghost stories.
Literally 'story of a ghost', a more general and casual way to refer to a ghost story.
昨日、友達から幽霊の話を聞いた。
Yesterday, I heard a ghost story from a friend.
Similar to 幽霊の話, but お化け can include monsters and other supernatural beings, often used in casual or children's contexts.
子供たちはお化けの話が大好きだ。
Kids love ghost stories.
Refers to a 'mystery/horror novel' or 'weird tale', often used for literary ghost stories or supernatural fiction.
彼は怪奇小説の名作をたくさん読んでいる。
He has read many masterpieces of weird fiction.
A more intense version of 怖い話, implying a truly horrifying or dreadful story.
彼は恐ろしい話を静かに語り始めた。
He began to quietly tell a horrifying story.
A traditional Japanese game of telling one hundred ghost stories, often by candlelight, with a supernatural twist at the end.
百物語は江戸時代に流行した怪談会だ。
Hyakumonogatari was a popular ghost story gathering in the Edo period.