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凄艶 (seien) Japanese meaning: weirdly beautiful | Kotomora

凄せい艶えん

せ

い

え

ん

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

weirdly beautiful; eerily gorgeous

Extremely rare literary word describing a beauty that is strange, unsettling, or otherworldly. Not used in everyday conversation.

その絵えには凄せい艶えんな雰ふん囲い気きが漂ただよっている。
The painting has an eerily beautiful atmosphere.

Kanji

凄uncanny, weird, threatening
艶glossy, luster, glaze

Related words

妖よう艶えん
妖艶 is a more common word for bewitching or seductive beauty, while 凄艶 emphasizes a weird, almost frightening beauty.
凄せい美び
凄美 is another rare word for weird beauty, but 凄艶 specifically carries a sensual or glamorous nuance.

Etymology

Compound of 凄 (sei, 'weird, uncanny') and 艶 (en, 'charm, glamour'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it is a rare literary coinage.