Where does “oni” come from?

oni (English) comes from Japanese 鬼, from Japanese 隠, from Middle Chinese 隱.

oni (English): A Japanese evil spirit or demon

Definitions

  1. A Japanese evil spirit or demon

Ancestry of “oni”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese鬼ghost; evil spirit, demon, ogre; someone of...
2Japanese隠to hide; hidden from sight; hidden
3Middle Chinese隱—
Every word from Middle Chinese 隱 →Every word from Japanese 隠 →Every word from Japanese 鬼 →