Translation guide
Describes something eerie, creepy, or giving a feeling of unease, often associated with ghosts or the supernatural.
spooky (general)
To describe a place, atmosphere, or thing that feels unsettling or gives you the creeps.
The most common and direct equivalent for 'spooky'. It means eerie, uncanny, or creepy, and can describe places, sounds, or atmospheres.
This old house is spooky.
A spooky silence hung in the air.
Literally 'feels bad', this is a very common colloquial way to say creepy or spooky. Often used in spoken Japanese.
Specifically related to ghosts, spirits, or haunted places.
When something feels spooky because it's strangely coincidental or gives you an inexplicable chill.
Literally 'spine freezes', used to describe a sudden chill of fear or spookiness, often from a story or realization.
Hearing that story sent a spooky chill down my spine.
An onomatopoeic expression for a shiver or shudder, often used when something is creepy or spooky.
That coincidence gave me a spooky feeling.
Directly 'eerie coincidence', used when a coincidence feels spooky or uncanny.
不気味 is the most neutral and widely used for 'spooky/eerie'. 気味悪い is more colloquial and specifically means 'creepy'. 気持ち悪い can mean 'spooky' but often leans toward 'gross/disgusting', so context matters.
怖い (scary) is broader and can mean 'frightening' rather than just 'spooky'. Use 不気味 or 気味悪い when you want to emphasize the eerie, unsettling quality rather than outright fear.
That abandoned building is spooky, isn't it?
A slightly stronger or more literary version of 気味悪い, meaning vaguely creepy or spooky.
A spooky fog had settled in.
That doll is spooky.
It feels like a spooky (haunted) atmosphere, doesn't it?
Refers to psychic phenomena or ghostly activity. More technical and used in paranormal contexts.
Spooky (paranormal) phenomena have been reported.
It was a spooky coincidence.