are figures in
Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of
ghosts. The name consists of two
kanji, (
yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (
rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 (Bōrei) meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 (
Yōkai) meaning "goblin" or お化け (
Obake) meaning "changing thing".