also: きどく
praiseworthy; commendable; laudable
Used to describe someone's actions, character, or attitude as admirable and deserving of praise. Often implies a selfless or noble quality.
Non-standard colloquial usage, sometimes used ironically or mistakenly to mean 'strange' or 'eccentric' instead of 'praiseworthy'. Not considered correct in formal contexts.
I was moved by his praiseworthy deed.
She participates in volunteer work with a commendable spirit.
That person is a bit weird, isn't he?
On the internet, 奇特な人 is sometimes used to mean 'a strange person'.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading きとく is the most common.
Rare alternative reading; きとく is strongly preferred in modern Japanese.
Composed of 奇 (ki, 'strange; wonderful') and 特 (toku, 'special'). Originally meant 'extraordinary' in a positive sense, leading to 'praiseworthy'. The colloquial negative sense likely arose from reinterpretation of 奇 as 'strange'.