怪あやしい

あ

や

し

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

怪しい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	怪あやしい	怪あやしくない
Polite	怪あやしいです	怪あやしくないですalso 怪あやしくありません
Past polite	怪あやしかったです	怪あやしくなかったですalso 怪あやしくありませんでした
Past	怪あやしかった	怪あやしくなかった
Te-form	怪あやしくて	怪あやしくなくて
Adverbial	怪あやしく
Conditional	怪あやしければ	怪あやしくなければ
Tara conditional	怪あやしかったら	怪あやしくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

suspicious; shady; fishy

Used when something or someone seems dishonest, illegal, or not quite right. Covers people, behavior, deals, and situations.

あの男おとこはどうも怪あやしい。
That man looks really suspicious.
怪あやしい取とり引ひきに手てを出だすな。
Don't get involved in shady deals.

i-adjective

doubtful; uncertain; unlikely

Expresses doubt about the truth, accuracy, or likelihood of something. Often used with ～と思う or in negative forms.

彼かれの言いうことは怪あやしい。
What he says is doubtful.
明日あした晴はれるかどうかは怪あやしいものだ。
It's uncertain whether it will be sunny tomorrow.

i-adjective

unreliable; shaky; poor

Describes a person's skill, memory, or a thing's quality as unreliable or not up to standard. Can be used self-deprecatingly.

彼かれの英えい語ごは怪あやしいものだ。
His English is pretty shaky.
私わたしの記き憶おくが怪あやしいので、もう一いち度ど確かく認にんします。
My memory is unreliable, so I'll check again.

i-adjective

strange; eerie; uncanny

Used for an atmosphere, place, or situation that feels weird, spooky, or not normal. Often carries a supernatural or unsettling nuance.

夜よるの森もりは怪あやしい雰ふん囲い気きに包つつまれていた。
The forest at night was filled with an eerie atmosphere.
あの家いえから怪あやしい物もの音おとが聞きこえる。
I hear strange noises coming from that house.

i-adjective

ominous; threatening; dangerous

Describes weather, situations, or prospects that look bad or risky. Often used with 雲行き, 空模様, or economic terms.

怪あやしい雲くも行ゆきになってきた。
The sky has started to look threatening.
会かい社しゃの経けい営えい状じょう態たいが怪あやしい。
The company's financial situation is precarious.

i-adjective

suspicious (of a romantic relationship)

Specifically used when suspecting a secret romantic or sexual relationship. Often appears in gossip or drama contexts.

あの二人ふたり、最さい近きん怪あやしいよね。
Those two have been looking suspicious lately, don't you think?

i-adjective

mysterious; bewitching; alluring

Describes a person, especially a woman, who has a mysterious and captivating charm. The kanji 妖しい is sometimes used for this nuance.

Usage patterns· 7

〈人ひと〉の動うごきが怪あやしいsomeone's movements are suspicious
彼かれの動うごきが怪あやしいので、警けい察さつに連れん絡らくした。
His movements were suspicious, so I called the police.
〈事こと〉かどうか怪あやしいit's doubtful whether something is true
彼かれの話はなしが本ほん当とうかどうか怪あやしい。
It's doubtful whether his story is true.
〈人ひと〉の記き憶おくが怪あやしいsomeone's memory is shaky or unreliable
最さい近きん、祖そ母ぼの記き憶おくが怪あやしい。
Lately my grandmother's memory has been shaky.
怪あやしい雰ふん囲い気きan eerie, uncanny atmosphere
廃はい墟きょには怪あやしい雰ふん囲い気きが漂ただよっていた。
An eerie atmosphere hung over the ruins.
空そら模も様ようが怪あやしいthe sky looks ominous, hinting at bad weather
空そら模も様ようが怪あやしいので、傘かさを持もって行いこう。
The sky looks ominous, so let's bring an umbrella.

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〈人ひと〉との関かん係けいが怪あやしいsuspected of having a secret romantic relationship with someone
彼かれと彼かの女じょの関かん係けいが怪あやしいと噂うわさされている。
There are rumors that he and she are secretly involved.
怪あやしい魅み力りょくa mysterious, bewitching charm
彼かの女じょには怪あやしい魅み力りょくがある。
She has a mysterious, captivating charm.

Expressions

怪あやしい手てつきでclumsily; with clumsy hands
雲くも行ゆきが怪あやしいthe clouds look menacing; threatening weather · things don't look good; the situation looks ominous

Kanji

怪suspicious, mystery, apparition

Related words· 7

疑うたがわしいN2sense 1
疑わしい points to a more objective, evidence-based suspicion, while 怪しい can be a vaguer, gut-feeling sense that something is off.
不ふ審しんN1sense 1
不審 is a formal noun/adjectival-noun typically used in official or police contexts like 不審者, whereas 怪しい is the everyday adjective for the same idea.
胡う散さん臭くさい sense 1
胡散臭い is a colloquial, often stronger way to say something feels shady or fishy, close in feel to 怪しい but more emphatic and informal.
臭くさいN4
怪しい is the general, neutral word for something suspicious or strange, while 臭い is a more colloquial, metaphorical way of saying something 'smells' fishy.

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黒くろいN5
怪しい is the general word for suspicious or dubious, while 黒い in this sense implies suspicion of actual crime or illegality.
不ぶ気き味みN2
怪しい emphasizes suspicion or doubt about someone's intentions, while 不気味 emphasizes an eerie, unsettling feeling without necessarily implying wrongdoing.
おかしいN4
怪しい implies stronger suspicion, often hinting at danger or deceit, while おかしい can simply mean something feels a bit off.

Opposites

確たしかN4sense 2
確か describes something certain or reliable, the opposite of 怪しい used to mean doubtful or uncertain.
もっともらしいN1
怪しい means suspicious or dubious-looking, the opposite of 尤もらしい, which means something looks convincing or believable.
間ま違ちがいない
怪しい means suspicious or doubtful, the opposite of the sure, no-doubt feeling conveyed by 間違いない.

Don't confuse with

妖あやしい sense 7
妖しい shares the same reading as 怪しい but is reserved for a mysterious, bewitching charm rather than plain suspicion or doubt.
卑いやしいN1
怪しい (suspicious) sounds and looks similar to 卑しい but describes doubtfulness rather than greed or baseness.

Word family

怪あやしげ
suspicious-looking; doubtful; questionable
怪あやしむN2
suspect; be suspicious of; doubt

Written forms

怪あやしいUsage76%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses. High-frequency word.
あやしいUsage22%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the kanji is not needed.
アヤシイUsage1%

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese adjective あやし, which originally meant 'strange, mysterious, wonderful'. The kanji 怪 carries the meaning 'suspicious, mysterious'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.