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shinigami

shinigami

1 9.9
A spirit in Japanese stories that guides or takes people when they die
  • noun
  • /ʃɪnɪˈɡɑːmi/
  • Literature
: shinigami
  • I am a Shinigami, a God of death.

Examples

  • Shinigami focus on tapping the power of their own soul.

    Blog text (25)
  • Thinking about his regained Shinigami powers.

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  • In Japanese folklore, a shinigami is often depicted as a spirit that guides souls to the afterlife.

  • The shinigami in many stories are believed to influence the timing of a person's death.

  • Legends say that seeing a shinigami can be an omen of one's impending demise.

Surface Forms

shinigami singular
shinigamis plural

Etymology

The word shinigami comes from Japanese: shi meaning 'death' and gami, a changed form of kami meaning 'god' or 'spirit'. So a shinigami is a 'death spirit', like the English 'grim reaper', that causes or guides death.