Reikon
/ˈreɪ.kɒn/noun
In Japanese thought, the soul or spiritual essence of a person.
Did you know?Japanese reikon is written 霊魂, pairing rei—spirit or supernatural presence—with kon—the soul believed to survive bodily death.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
霊魂
“A spirit or soul; the two characters later entered Japanese through Sino-Japanese vocabulary.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
靈魂
“A supernatural spirit and the soul or animating essence of a person.”
Nara–Heian Period
Japanese
霊魂 (reikon)
“A Sino-Japanese compound meaning spiritual soul or surviving soul.”
19th–20th Century
Japanese
れいこん / reikon
“The soul or spiritual essence, especially in religious, folkloric, and philosophical contexts.”
Modern English
English
reikon
“A Japanese loanword used in discussions of Japanese spirituality, death, ghosts, and the soul.”