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ミステリー (misuterii) Japanese meaning: mystery | Kotomora

ミステリー

also: ミステリ · ミステリィ

ミ

ス

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ー

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

mystery; mystery fiction; unexplained matter

Katakana noun for a mystery, especially a mystery novel, film, drama, or genre; it can also refer to something unexplained or puzzling.

週しゅう末まつにミステリー映えい画がを見みた。

I watched a mystery movie over the weekend.

彼かれがなぜ急きゅうに辞やめたのかは今いまもミステリーだ。

Why he suddenly quit is still a mystery.

Usage patterns

ミステリーを読よむto read a mystery (novel)
休やすみの日ひはよくミステリーを読よむ。
On my days off, I often read mystery novels.
ミステリー小しょう説せつmystery novel
彼かの女じょはミステリー小しょう説せつを書かいている。
She is writing a mystery novel.
ミステリーを解とくto solve a mystery
探たん偵ていはついにそのミステリーを解といた。
The detective finally solved the mystery.
ミステリーが好すきだto like mysteries (as a genre)
父ちちは昔むかしからミステリーが好すきだ。
My father has liked mysteries for a long time.

Related words

謎なぞN2
謎 is a native Japanese word for any riddle or puzzle, while ミステリー is a katakana loanword usually tied to the mystery fiction genre.
推すい理り小しょう説せつ
推理小説 specifically means a detective/mystery novel, whereas ミステリー is the broader genre label covering novels, films, and dramas.
サスペンス
サスペンス emphasizes tension and suspense, while ミステリー emphasizes a puzzle or mystery to be solved.
推すい理りN1
ミステリー is the loanword for the mystery genre emphasizing atmosphere and suspense, while 推理 highlights the logical deduction aspect of the genre.
クライムストーリー
ミステリー focuses on puzzle-solving and whodunit elements, while クライムストーリー emphasizes the criminal act and its consequences, often with a grittier tone.

Don't confuse with

サスペンス
サスペンス is about tension and dread over an outcome, while ミステリー centers on solving a puzzle or crime, so they are related but distinct story genres.

Word family

ミステリーツアー
mystery tour
コージーミステリー
cozy mystery
マーダーミステリー
murder mystery game
ミステリーサークル
crop circle
ミステリーショッパー
mystery shopper; secret shopper

Written forms

ミステリーUsage70%
Standard katakana spelling; this is the most learner-friendly display form.
ミステリUsage30%
Shorter katakana variant, also high-priority and common, especially in titles, publishing, and genre labels.
ミステリィUsage<1%
search-only kana form
Search-only spelling; not recommended as the normal written form.

Etymology

No borrowing etymology is specified. This is the standard katakana form used for the concept expressed by English 'mystery'.