魔 means “demon, evil spirit, magic”

ま · ma

Also: witch

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

マ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 21 strokes

The story

A demon (鬼) crouched under a roof of hemp (麻): 魔 is said to have been coined to write Māra, the tempter of the Buddha. 悪魔 is a devil, 魔法 is magic, and お邪魔します, said as you step into someone's home, literally means 'I'll be in your way'.

Used in 邪魔 (jama, hindrance/in the way), 魔法 (mahou, magic), and 悪魔 (akuma, devil)

More from Ghosts & Demons

• 鬼 ogre
• 幻 illusion
• 怪 suspicious
• 魂 soul
• 妖 bewitching
• 幽 secluded
• 呪 curse
• 冥 underworld
• 仙 hermit
• 霊 spirit

Learn 魔 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.