# ghibli

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ghibli
Updated: 2026-09-26

## Senses

### 1. Japanese animation studio

noun · CEFR B2

a famous Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. It is best known for hand-drawn films such as Spirited Away (2001), which won an Academy Award. It can also describe their dreamy, hand-painted style.

For teachers: a proper noun for Studio Ghibli, the Tokyo animation studio founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki, named after the Italian word for the Saharan wind. Acclaimed for hand-drawn films: Spirited Away (2001) won the Golden Bear (2002) and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (2003). Also used attributively, as in “a Ghibli-style landscape”.

- My favourite Ghibli film is Spirited Away.
- Studio Ghibli’s hand-drawn films, above all Spirited Away, have earned worldwide praise for their imaginative worlds and emotional depth.

### 2. hot desert wind

noun · CEFR C2

a strong, hot wind that blows from the Sahara Desert into the Mediterranean. It is famous for being very dry and warm, and it can sometimes cause sandstorms in Europe.

For teachers: a hot, dry, and dusty wind that blows from the Sahara Desert toward the Mediterranean coast. Often associated with the Mediterranean climate and capable of transporting significant amounts of dust across the region.

- The ghibli made the air feel very dry and warm.
- Meteorologists track the ghibli as a significant climatic event, noting how its arrival can temporarily raise temperatures and reduce visibility across the northern African and southern European borders.

## Examples

- The ghibli made the air feel very dry and warm.
- During the summer months, the ghibli often brings a thick layer of Saharan dust to the coastal cities of southern Italy.
- Meteorologists track the ghibli as a significant climatic event, noting how its arrival can temporarily raise temperatures and reduce visibility across the northern African and southern European borders.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.