Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 を 不ふ 審しん に 思おも う to find something suspicious
I found his behavior suspicious.
不ふ 審しん な 点てん がある there is something suspicious or questionable about it
There's something suspicious about this contract.
〈 事こと 〉 に 不ふ 審しん を 抱いだ く to harbor suspicion about something
The police harbored suspicions about his explanation.
Related words 疑い is a more general, everyday word for doubt or suspicion with a stronger emotional charge, while 不審 is more formal and focuses on the objective strangeness of a situation.
怪しい is an i-adjective meaning 'suspicious-looking' used broadly in everyday speech, whereas 不審 is a noun/na-adjective typical of formal or written contexts.
疑惑 usually points to a specific suspicion or accusation (e.g. of wrongdoing), while 不審 describes a more general sense that something is off or questionable.
不審 is a formal noun/adjectival noun often paired with 者 in official or police contexts, whereas 疑わしい is a plain everyday adjective.
不審 is a formal, often legal or official term for suspicious behavior, while おかしい is casual and conversational.
Don't confuse with 不信 (same reading as 不審 ) means distrust or mistrust of a person's sincerity, while 不審 refers to the questionable or suspicious nature of a fact or situation.
不振 (same reading as 不審 ) means a slump or poor performance, an entirely different meaning that learners often mix up with 不審 due to the identical pronunciation.
不審 means suspicious or doubtful and looks similar in kanji, but it describes a feeling of distrust, not an actual scandal like 不祥事 .
Word family· 8 suspicious fire; suspected arson
suspicious death; undetermined manner of death
suspicious object; suspicious substance
suspicious person; suspicious-looking individual
be suspicious; feel uneasy about
Show 3 more Show fewer suspicious person; suspicious character
police questioning of a suspicious person; police checkup
suspicious behavior; acting suspiciously
Etymology Sino-Japanese compound of 不 (fu, 'not') and 審 (shin, 'clear' or 'judge'), literally meaning 'not clear' or 'not to be judged as safe,' hence 'suspicious.'
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