鬼 means “ogre, demon, ghost”

おに · oni

Also: devil

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おに

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

A figure with a huge boxy head (the 田-like top) on bent legs (儿): the old form shows a person with a monstrous head. In Japan the 鬼 is a horned ogre, and on Setsubun families throw beans shouting 鬼は外, 福は内, demons out, luck in.

Used in 鬼 (oni, ogre/demon), 鬼ごっこ (onigokko, the game of tag), and 鬼門 (kimon, unlucky direction/weak spot)

More from Ghosts & Demons

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

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

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