珍しい · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 珍しい | 珍しくない |
| Polite | 珍しいです | 珍しくないですalso 珍しくありません |
| Past polite | 珍しかったです | 珍しくなかったですalso 珍しくありませんでした |
| Past | 珍しかった | 珍しくなかった |
| Te-form | 珍しくて | 珍しくなくて |
| Adverbial | 珍しく | |
| Conditional | 珍しければ | 珍しくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 珍しかったら | 珍しくなかったら |
The core modern meaning: something is not often seen, does not often happen, or stands out as unusual. Can be neutral or mildly curious depending on context.
A rare bird had come into the garden.
彼が遅刻するなんて珍しい。
It's unusual for him to be late.
Used when something feels new, unfamiliar, or novel to the person experiencing it, often with a sense of interest or curiosity.
子どもたちは初めて見る雪が珍しくて、外へ飛び出した。
The children found the snow, which they were seeing for the first time, so novel that they ran outside.
外国の市場は彼女には何もかも珍しかった。
Everything in the foreign market felt new and unfamiliar to her.
Rare older or literary use meaning admirable, splendid, or precious. In ordinary modern Japanese, 珍しい usually means 'rare' or 'unusual,' not simply 'nice.'
古い用法では、「珍しい」が「すばらしい」「大切な」という意味で説明されることがある。
In older usage, 珍しい is sometimes explained as meaning 'splendid' or 'precious.'
Snow is rare in this region.
Unusually, he came home early.
That was a rare mistake for him.
Rarely for him, he was late.
珍しい simply means rare or uncommon, while ユニーク implies a distinctive quality that makes something stand out creatively.
珍しい means rare or unfamiliar, the opposite of お馴染み's sense of being well-known and familiar.
rare item; unusual thing
curiously; with curious eyes