reiki

Where does the word "reiki" come from? It comes from Japanese reiki, and was adopted directly into English (1970s-1980s).

Reiki’s story begins in Japanese: reiki meant “spiritually guided life-force energy.” Combining 'rei' (spirit) and 'ki' (energy), coined by Mikao Usui for a hands-on healing practice. It reached English by 1970s-1980s as reiki. Spread to the West through students of Usui's successors teaching alternative healing. Today, reiki means an alternative therapy in which practitioners channel healing energy through light touch.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · 1922 reiki "spiritually guided life-force energy", combining 'rei' (spirit) and 'ki' (energy), coined by Mikao Usui for a hands-on healing practice.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1970s-1980s reiki "an alternative healing practice using hands-on energy transfer", spread to the West through students of Usui's successors teaching alternative healing.