obake means A ghost or apparition in Japanese folklore. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “obake” is a great word
OBAKE — [Noun] A ghost, apparition, or shape-shifting creature in Japanese folklore. From Japanese おばけ (obake), derived from the verb 化ける (bakeru, "to change, to transform"). Unlike *yūrei* (the tethered ghost of a specific human) or *yōkai* (the vast taxonomic category for all strange phenomena), an obake is the unsettling event of metamorphosis itself. It is the paper lantern whose painted eyes blink to life, the abandoned kettle whose spout elongates into a snout, or the beautiful stranger whose reflection reveals only a moon-washed stone—a testament to a world forever on the cusp of shedding its skin.
noun
- A ghost or apparition in Japanese folklore.