霊 means “spirit, soul, ghost”

れい · rei

Also: spirits

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

たま

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

レイ, リョウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

Rain (雨) falling over the shape below: picture spirits drifting down like fine drizzle over a graveyard. 霊 is the spirit of the dead: a 幽霊 is a ghost, a 霊園 is a cemetery, and 心霊写真, photos with a face that shouldn't be there, fill summer TV specials.

Used in 幽霊 (yuurei, ghost), 霊園 (reien, cemetery), and 心霊写真 (shinrei shashin, spirit photograph)

More from Ghosts & Demons

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

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

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