Konpaku
/koʊnˈpɑːkuː/noun
A Japanese term for the soul understood as two complementary spiritual aspects: the 魂, associated with consciousness, and the 魄, associated with the bodily spirit.
Did you know?Konpaku reflects an ancient Chinese theory that a person possessed multiple spiritual components, including a heavenly soul and an earthly, body-bound spirit.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Chinese
魂魄 (húnpò)
“The paired spiritual components of a person: the 魂 linked with consciousness or Heaven, and the 魄 linked with the body or Earth.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
魂魄 (húnpò)
“The soul or spiritual essence, often treated as a dual or composite entity rather than a single immaterial self.”
6th–8th Century
Middle Chinese
魂魄 (ɦˠiuən pʰˠæk)
“The inherited Chinese term for the complementary soul aspects.”
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
魂魄 (こんぱく, konpaku)
“A Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese expression, referring to the soul or spiritual essence.”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
魂魄 (konpaku)
“A literary and religious term for the spiritual constitution of a human being, especially the soul connected with the body.”
Modern English
English loanword
konpaku
“A rare romanized Japanese term used in discussions of Japanese religion, folklore, literature, and esoteric concepts of the soul.”