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Oni (鬼): what it means in anime
鬼
おに · oni · ogre; demon; oni JLPT N3
Oni means "demon" or "ogre" in Japanese folklore: horned, strong and man-eating. Demon Slayer's title is 鬼滅の刃, and the 鬼 in it are exactly these creatures.
Where you hear it 2 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.
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Demon Slayer · 45 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
じゃあ… みんな 鬼に食われちまうThen, everyone would get eaten up by the demons.
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The Promised Neverland · 15 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
次 ノーマン以外 全員 鬼！
Usage and nuance
The English dub says "demon", but 鬼 is a specific Japanese monster, distinct from 悪魔 (akuma, devil). The Promised Neverland also uses 鬼 for its creatures, playing on the folklore image.
As a prefix 鬼 means "fiercely": 鬼コーチ is "a demon coach", 鬼ごっこ is the children's game of tag, where the "it" player is the 鬼. Setsubun, the February bean-throwing festival, chases away 鬼.
In Demon Slayer the vocabulary around it matters: 鬼殺隊 (kisatsutai) is the Demon Slayer Corps and 鬼になる is "to become a demon".
Hear 鬼 in Demon Slayer45 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account