Yokai, 妖怪, are strange and supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. The word is a combination of the characters 妖 (yō) — attractive, bewitching, calamity — and 怪 (kai) — mystery, wonder.
Many different English words have been used as translations. Yokai is sometimes translated as monster, demon, spirit, or goblin, but it can encompass all of that and more. The world of yokai also includes ghosts, gods (kami), transformed humans and animals (bakemono), spirit possession (tsukimono), urban legends, and other strange phenomena. It is a broad and vague term, and nothing exists in the English language that quite describes it. Like samurai, geisha, ninja, and sushi, yokai is one of those words that just works better in its native tongue.
