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What does 魔晄 really mean and how is it read?

The [FF VII Wiki](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Mako) lists Mako (Kanji
is 魔晄) as meaning "magic light". I am assuming the furigana for this Kanji is
魔{ま}晄{こう} based on the English word Mako.

From my [jisho search](https://jisho.org/search/%E9%AD%94%E6%99%84), it
appears this Kanji 魔晄 does not exists in the system? I did not get any search
results back. I did get several search results back for 魔{ま} which has many
meanings relating to magic, spirits, sorcery, evil spirit etc. based on kanji
and context. Searching for 晄 on [jisho](https://jisho.org/search/%E6%99%84) I
get no results.
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2020-05-05T19:02:28.890
77082
2020-05-06T08:31:55.310
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question
translation kanji video-games
Meaning of Mako variant Kanji from Final Fantasy 7
魔晄{まこう} is a compound invented for the game, which is why you won't find it in
any dictionary.

The reason the second character is difficult to find is that 晄 is a rare
variant of the more common 晃 ("bright, dazzling"). Even if I had never seen
the character 晄, I would be likely to guess the reading こう by interpreting it
as a 形声文字. It seems like a stretch to translate it as "magic light", but since
this is a fictional term of art, some poetic license is probably appropriate.

Given the appearance of mako in the game, 晄 is probably intended to suggest
brightness and brilliance. As you observed, 魔 suggests 魔法{まほう} ("magic") as
well as the meanings of spirits in the context of the game.
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2020-05-05T20:18:20.443
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2020-05-05T22:21:03.280
2020-05-05T22:21:03.280
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answer