Standard Lemma guide

hengeyokai

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A legendary Japanese animal with the ability to shapeshift into human form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: arts, folklore, history, human-sciences, literature, media, publishing, sciences

Examples

  • 1985, David Cook, Oriental Adventures, TSR Inc., →ISBN Hengeyokai are intelligent, shape-changing animals. Several subraces exist, each a different type of animal. They are found throughout the Oriental world, usually on the fringes of human-settled lands.
  • 1998-01-28, Lee Gold, Re: B5 Filk: You Picked A Fine Time To Leave Us Sinclair, rec.music.filk If a hengeyokai fails to concentrate (or perhaps gets distracted -- due to being beaten, seeing a mouse, fatigue), the human form's ears may get pointed or a tail may appear.
  • 2013-10-12, Jasin Zujovic, Hengeyokai level adjustment, rec.games.frp.dnd I've been watching Inuyasha yesterday (too bad that's a German dub and I can understand almost nothing) and that got me wanting to make myself a hengeyokai character... and then I remembered the level adjustment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Japanese 変化妖怪.