namahage

N1A1M3A1H4A1G2E1

noun

A demon-like being in Japanese folklore, portrayed by men in ogre masks and traditional straw capes during a New Year's ritual of admonishing badly-behaved children.

OriginJapanese 生剥 →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounnamahage (plural namahage)
  1. A demon-like being in Japanese folklore, portrayed by men in ogre masks and traditional straw capes during a New Year's ritual of admonishing badly-behaved children.

Origin

  1. Japanese生剥
  2. Englishnamahage

From Japanese 生剥.

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

namahage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/namahage

MLA

“namahage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/namahage. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “namahage,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/namahage.

Source: namahage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.