Standard Lemma guide

yaksha

noun · 2 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A kind of supernatural being; can be a malevolent demon or a beneficent tutelary deity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Hinduism, India, Jainism, South-Asia

Topics: Buddhism, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A kind of supernatural being, often depicted as having supernatural power, great strength, and frightening appearance; can be a malevolent demon or a beneficent tutelary deity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Southeast Asia mythology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit यक्ष (yakṣa).

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Burmese: ဘီလူး (bhilu:) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Chinese Mandarin: 夜叉 (yèchā) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Chinese Mandarin: 藥叉 /药叉 (yàochā) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Esperanto: jakŝo — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Hindi: यक्ष (yakṣ) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Japanese: 夜叉 (yasha) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷ (yakṣa) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Khmer: យក្ខ (yĕək) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Khmer: យក្ស (yĕək) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Korean: 야차 (yacha) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Lao: ຍັກ (nyak) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Malay: yaksa — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Malayalam: യക്ഷൻ (yakṣaṉ) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Manchu: ᠶᠠᡴᠴᠠ (yakca) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Marathi: यक्ष (yakṣa) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Pali: yakkha — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Punjabi: ਯੱਖ (yakkha) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Punjabi: ਜੱਖ (jakkha) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Russian: я́кша (jákša) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Russian: я́ккха (jákkxa) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Sanskrit: यक्ष (yakṣa) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Sundanese: yaksa — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Tamil: இயக்கர் (iyakkar) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Thai: ยักษ์ (yák) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Thai: ยักข์ (yák) — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Tocharian B: yākṣe — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being
  • Vietnamese: dạ-xoa — (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) a kind of supernatural being