魔法 – 3 Words for Magic in Japanese and when to say them
Whether you are talking about just tricks at a birthday party or wizardry the word magic can refer to a range of things. There are also a few different words for magic in Japanese. Let’s take a look.
INDEX
Words for Magic in Japanese
Japanese has a multiple words for magic. Depending on what you are referring to you will want to know the correct word. Here are a few examples.
- 手品
- マジック
- 魔法
手品 – Magic Tricks
手品 is the Japanese word for magic tricks. When you we talk about magic tricks we means something that is for show that we all know is fake. So this does not mean magic in fantasy stories or games.
手品 is built from two words.
- 手 – Hand
- 品 – Goods
手 is pretty self-explanatory but 品 is more complicated. 品 is a word that can mean goods, products, quality, or even ingredients. Basically you can just think of it as physical stuff for now.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/
Also, one more point on this word and Japanese compounds. 品 by itself is pronounced shina but it becomes jina in the words 手品. That is because the second part in a Japanese compound goes through a sound change where the first consonant changes into a voiced sound. So, that means shi becomes ji.
魔法 – Wizardry, Sorcery and Witchcraft
魔法 is the most common word and what we are generally talking about when we say magic. Let’s also break this word down.
- 魔 – Mysterious, Evil
- 法 – Rule, law, method
魔法 is a word pronounced in Onyomi. So, the characters themselves are not words but they have meaning.
Kunyomi and Onyomi made Simple
マジック – Magic
マジック is directly borrowed from the English word magic. This word basically means that same as it does in English. So, it encompasses the meaning for 手品 and 魔法.
マジック can be and is used in normal everyday conversation. You will also often see it though in compound words borrowed from English. So for example マジック・ナンバー which comes from Magic Number. You may also see マジック said in other places like stories, games and so on.
Japanese is a language that has words of three main origins. You have the native Japanese words like 手品, the words based on the traditional Chinese reading of Kanji like 魔法 and modern loanwords from English and other languages like マジック. Sometimes these words have different meanings or are used in different situations for stylistic reasons.
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
