魔 (mó): demon

Meanings

Tā shì yī gè mófǎshī.

He is a wizard.

Tā bèi èmó fùshēn le.

She was possessed by a demon.

Zhège yóuxì lǐ yǒu hěn duō móguài.

There are many monsters in this game.

usage

魔 appears in many compounds: 魔法 (magic), 恶魔 (demon), 魔鬼 (devil), 魔术 (magic tricks), 魔王 (demon king). It can mean supernatural evil or magical power.

history

魔 was borrowed from Sanskrit 'māra' (the demon who tried to tempt Buddha). The character combines 麻 (hemp, used for sound) and 鬼 (ghost).

魔 mó