mysterious; enigmatic; sphinx-like; noncommittal
Describes a person, statement, or attitude that is deliberately vague, hard to read, or evasive, like the mythical nue whose true nature is unclear. Often used for someone who won't give a straight answer.
His replies are always enigmatic, so I can't tell what he really thinks.
首相の鵺的な発言に、記者たちは困惑した。
The reporters were baffled by the prime minister's sphinx-like remarks.
Standard kanji spelling; the character 鵺 refers to the mythical nue chimera, giving the word its mysterious, unidentifiable nuance.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
Rarely used kanji form; 鵼 is a variant of 鵺.
From 鵺 (nue, a mythical Japanese chimera said to be difficult to identify) + 的 (-teki, '-like'). The word evokes the nue's elusive, unidentifiable nature.