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Oni

Supernatural
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A powerful ogre or demon from Japanese folklore. Oni are often fierce punishers, monsters of appetite, or guardians at the borders of the sacred.

Detailed Definition
Oni are horned, formidable beings in Japanese folklore, frequently depicted with fierce faces, colored skin, iron clubs, and overwhelming strength. Their role is varied: they may torment the wicked, threaten travelers, guard hellish realms, or embody uncontrolled rage. In poetry, an oni can make anger visible and mythic, especially in poems about violence, punishment, shame, or monstrous appetite. Its threatening form also allows a poem to ask whether the monster is an enemy, a judge, or a distorted reflection of the speaker.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Japanese-inspired imagery, an oni may appear as a horned guardian of punishment: “The oni at the gate polished his iron club”; A poet can use an oni to externalize rage, giving anger red skin, tusks, and a voice louder than thunder; A comic poem might portray an oni frustrated by modern life, unable to frighten commuters absorbed in their phones; In a family poem, an oni mask at a festival can become a symbol of fear transformed into communal laughter
Additional Notes
Oni may represent punishment, uncontrolled appetite, rage, or exclusion. Japanese traditions also allow more complex roles, including guardianship, so avoid reducing them to simple devils.
Other Meanings of “Oni”
Also Known As
Japanese Ogre Japanese Demon
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