uncanny, weird, threatening, horrible
On'yomi (音読み)
- セイ
- サイ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- さむ.い
- すご.い
- すさ.まじい
About this kanji
The kanji 凄 primarily means uncanny or weird, often conveying a sense of something being threatening or horrible. It is frequently used as an adjective, particularly in the form of compounds. For example, the word 凄い (すごい) means 'terrible' or 'amazing,' while 物凄い (ものすごい) intensifies this to mean 'terrific' or 'extraordinary.' Another common usage is 凄まじい (すさまじい), which also conveys a dramatic sense, meaning 'terrible' or 'severe.' The verb 凄む (すごむ) means 'to threaten.' Note that while it can have negative connotations, in casual conversation, people might use 凄い positively to describe something impressive or exciting.
Example sentences
その映画は凄い感動を覚えた。
I felt an incredible emotion from that movie.
Meanings across languages
- English
- uncanny, weird, threatening, horrible
- Tiếng Việt
- kỳ lạ, kỳ quái, đáng sợ, kinh dị
- 日本語
- 凄い, 奇妙, 脅かす, 恐ろしい
- 한국어
- 섬뜩한, 기괴한, 위협적인, 끔찍한
- 中文
- 可怕, 奇怪, 威胁, 恐怖
- id
- aneh
- th
- น่าขนลุก
- es
- extraño
- fr
- étrange
- de
- unheimlich
- pt
- estranho
Common compounds
- 凄いすごいterrible, dreadful, amazing (e.g. of strength)
- 物凄いものすごいterrific, staggering, tremendous
- 凄まじいすさまじいterrible, dreadful, awful
- 凄むすごむto threaten, to intimidate, to be threatening
- 凄艶せいえんweirdly beautiful
- 凄惨せいさんghastly, gruesome, appalling
- 凄みすごみghastliness, dreadfulness, grimness
- 凄腕すごうでremarkable ability, mastery, brilliant technique
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