Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of the sacred beings worshiped in Shintoism, conceived as spirits abiding in natural phenomena and sometimes in people with extraordinary qualities.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A lord; a title applied by the Japanese to daimios and governors.
  • noun A term used by the Japanese to designate all the gods or celestial beings who formed and peopled Japan; the descendants of these gods, the mikados and the imperial family, as terrestrial kami; and such heroes and worthies as have been deified by the mikados.
  • noun [capitalized] [=Chin. shin, god, spirit.] The name used by the Protestant missionaries and the native Protestant Christians of Japan for the Supreme Being; God: the term used by Roman Catholics is Tenshu, or Lord of Heaven, whence Roman Catholics are known as the Tenshū -kio, or ‘Lord-of-Heaven sect.’

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun plural A title given to the celestial gods of the first mythical dynasty of Japan and extended to the demigods of the second dynasty, and then to the long line of spiritual princes still represented by the mikado.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An animistic God or spirit in the Shinto religion of Japan.
  • noun A basic origami paper, usually printed with a colour or pattern on one side.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun one the Shinto deities (including mythological beings, spirits of distinguished men, forces of nature)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Japanese.]

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Examples

  • kami menantikanye dr camera imal..uhuhu psl hal buka puasa aritu,jgn amik hati sgt la..kami x rasa pe2 pun..asalkan kami enjoy buka sesama dhla..

    it ended up with bored session. 2009

  • Philosophical Magazine, published in T [= o] ki [= o], a Japanese writer, Mr. Kenjir [= o] Hiradé, states also that the term kami does not necessarily denote a spiritual being, but is only a relative term meaning above or high, but this respect toward something high or above has created many imaginary deities as well as those having a human history.

    The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji William Elliot Griffis 1885

  • Belief in the kami is a folk tradition in Japan, repudiated or at best grudgingly tolerated by the major religions but still retaining a hold on the popular imagination.

    Yatterings » London and Hell – Similar places? – Mike Carey interviewed 2007

  • But the best are the tiny shrines, the little places that are used and loved by local people, who believe in kami, little mythical spirit beings, who live in the world with us and think and feel much as we do.

    Archive 2007-10-01 Heather McDougal 2007

  • But the best are the tiny shrines, the little places that are used and loved by local people, who believe in kami, little mythical spirit beings, who live in the world with us and think and feel much as we do.

    Day of the Dead Heather McDougal 2007

  • Tapos pumunta kami salibrary. .ilang oras rin kami dun ...

    Archive 2006-12-01 2006

  • Bila 'pass' maka kami akan mendapat copy transaksi, bila fail maka tidak akan ada transaksi.

    harry.sufehmi.com 2009

  • Bila Anda tidak mencantumkannya, maka kami akan memasukkan Anda ke list cadangan, atau ke list yang mungkin tidak sesuai dengan harapan

    Komunitas Blogger Muslim 2009

  • "Namun kami mampu mengakhiri permainan dengan angka 1-0 dan kami tahu bila kami mendapatkan angka kedua maka kami akan membunuh tim itu," katanya kepada Reuters.

    ANTARA - Berita Terkini 2008

  • [...] dan hebatnya teman saya masuk 5 besar di kontes tersebut saya berharap agar kami bisa menang,, amin kenali dan kunjungi objek wisata di pandeglang adalah keyword yang kami targetkan jika kami mampu masuk di 10 besar maka kami akan memenangkan [...]

    MyLinkVault Newest Links 2009

  • The ancient Japanese believed that plants, animals, natural phenomena, and even the terrain itself could possess spirits—known as kami.

    The Long History of Japan’s Tidying Up Condé Nast 2021

  • There are several terms for these (yokai, ayakashi, kami), and are described in lots of different ways in different tales, sometimes like elves or brownies, sometimes more like giant invisible organisms which, like microorganisms, naturally dwell in various places and only cause problems when things go out of whack (like when the bacteria in your guts are messed up by antibiotics and make you ill, or the bacteria that live all over your body at all times get into a cut).

    The Ghost Did What?! Translation Exposing Providentialist Thinking Ada Palmer 2023

  • Kami are Shinto spirits present everywhere — in humans, in nature, even in inanimate objects.

    What White, Western Audiences Don't Understand About Marie Kondo's 'Tidying Up' On assignment for HuffPost 2019

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  • One of the two Indonesian words that can mean we, our and us. Kami is used when the person(s) being adressed is not included within the scope of we. Example -

    Parent, and child: We're going for a picnic today.

    Neighbour, not invited to go on picnic: How lovely.

    Compare kita.

    December 14, 2012