From [Miriam-Webster][1], *spirit* means

> the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person

and

> to carry off usually secretly or mysteriously

**Spirited Away** is a clever play on words, both referencing how Chihiro *enters the spirit world*. She gets carried off her own world, and she becomes a spirit.

For reference, *Spirited Away* is not a literal translation. *Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi* literally means *The Kidnapping of Sen and Chihiro*, and in my language, the movie was distributed as *Chihiro's Journey*.

Oh, and also, if you're wondering about the Sen and Chihiro references, check out my other [question][2]!


  [1]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit
  [2]: http://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/70301/chihiros-name-turning-to-sen