You probably think you already know what yokai means. And, you
are probably wrong. Or at least, you are only partially correct.
There is more to yokai than you think. Thanks to movies like
“The Great Yokai War,” and comics and books like “Nura: Rise of
the Yokai Clan” and “Yokai Attack!,” yokai as a word is slowly
making its way into the English language. People are becoming
aware of Japan’s legacy of magic and mystery. But, “yokai” is
entering English with a meaning almost-but-not-quite the same as
the Japanese meaning. It is kind of like the word “manga”—in
English, manga has come to mean “Japanese comics.” Exclusively.
But in Japanese, manga just means … comics. All comics.
Regardless of national origin. Iron Man? Manga. Mickey Mouse?
Manga. Rex Morgan, M.D.? Manga. Tin Tin? Manga. And it doesn’t
even specifically mean books (That would be “manga no hon.”)
“Manga” can mean toys, movies, games … anything comic-related.
It has a vast meaning beyond the limited scope of usage that we
have given the word in En