言霊

Kotodama

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Meaning

the spirit that dwells in words

A mysterious power believed to reside in words. What was said aloud was thought to come true exactly as spoken.

Example

言霊を気にして、受験生の前では「落ちる」という言葉を使わない。

Mindful of kotodama, we avoid the word "fall" around students taking entrance exams.

Origin

A belief of ancient Japan. The Man'yōshū contains a poem calling Japan "the land where kotodama bring blessings," that is, a country where the spiritual power of words brings good fortune. From this belief came both the practice of actively using the power of words, as in norito (Shinto prayers), and the custom of imikotoba, avoiding ill-omened words.

Sources

コトバンクkotobank.jp