Mahou (魔法): what it means in anime

魔法

まほう · mahou · magic; witchcraft; sorcery Not on JLPT lists

Mahou means "magic". It is the word in 魔法少女 (mahou shoujo, magical girl) and in every fantasy anime where someone casts a spell, from Frieren to Konosuba.

Where you hear it 3 of 42 series

Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.

Frieren · 59 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

えーっとね長距離魔法はLong-range magic is a combination of three key factors essential to mages.
KonoSuba · 44 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

我が必殺の魔法は山をも崩し―My lethal magic demolishes mountains,
No Game No Life · 22 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2

ゼロ？魔法が使えないってことか？So Imanity can't use magic?

Usage and nuance

Frieren is a 魔法使い (mahoutsukai, mage, literally magic-user), and the show spends whole episodes on what 魔法 means to her. Konosuba's Megumin lives for 爆裂魔法 (explosion magic). No Game No Life treats 魔法 as a rule of its world.

Related words: 魔力 (maryoku) is the power or mana that fuels magic, 魔術 (majutsu) is sorcery with a slightly darker, more technical feel, and 呪文 (jumon) is a spell as in the words you chant.

The 魔 kanji carries a hint of the demonic, which is why it also appears in 魔王 (demon king) and 悪魔 (devil). Japanese fantasy vocabulary clusters around it.

Hear 魔法 in Frieren59 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account