よそよそしい

よ

そ

よ

そ

し

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

distant; cold; standoffish

usually written using kana alone

Describes behavior or attitude that is unfriendly, aloof, or keeping someone at arm's length, often unexpectedly from someone previously close.

彼かれは最さい近きん、私わたしに対たいしてよそよそしい。
He has been distant toward me lately.

よそよそしい態たい度どをとられて、悲かなしかった。

I was saddened by the cold attitude I received.

Written forms

よそよそしいUsage99%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
余よ所そ余よ所そしいUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; not commonly used.

Kanji

余too much, myself, surplus
所place, extent

Similar words

冷つめたい
冷たい is a general word for cold temperature or a cold personality, while よそよそしい specifically describes behavior that is distant or unfriendly in a social context.
他た人にん行ぎょう儀ぎ
他人行儀 means treating someone like a stranger with excessive politeness, whereas よそよそしい emphasizes emotional distance and coldness.

Etymology

Derived from よそ (other place, outside) reduplicated and combined with the adjectival suffix しい, suggesting an attitude that treats someone as an outsider.