奇き々き怪かい々かい

き

か

い

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Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

very strange; bizarre; mysterious

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Emphatic yojijukugo describing something extremely odd, eerie, or inexplicable. Often used in literary or dramatic contexts.

その事じ件けんは奇々きき怪々かいかいな謎なぞに包つつまれている。
The case is shrouded in a very strange mystery.

彼かれの話はなしは奇々きき怪々かいかいで、誰だれも信しんじなかった。

His story was so bizarre that no one believed it.

Written forms

奇き々き怪かい々かい
Standard yojijukugo spelling with iteration marks.
奇き奇き怪かい怪かい
Full kanji spelling without iteration marks; less common but still used.

Kanji

奇strange, strangeness, curiosity
怪suspicious, mystery, apparition

Similar words

不ふ思し議ぎ
不思議 is a common, neutral word for 'mysterious' or 'wonder'. 奇々怪々 is much stronger and more literary, emphasizing extreme strangeness.
奇き妙みょう
奇妙 means 'strange' or 'odd' in a general sense. 奇々怪々 is more emphatic and often carries a nuance of the uncanny or inexplicable.

Etymology

A yojijukugo formed by reduplication of 奇 (strange) and 怪 (mysterious), intensifying the meaning. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of emphatic four-character compounds.