noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
Used to describe books, manuscripts, or other items that are extremely scarce or hard to find. Often appears in bibliographic or antiquarian contexts.
この稀覯本は図書館に一冊しかない。
There is only one copy of this rare book in the library.
彼は稀覯な古文書を収集している。
He collects rare old manuscripts.
希少 means 'scarce' or 'rare' in a broader sense (e.g., resources, species), whereas 稀覯 is specifically for rare books and documents.
rare book
Standard kanji form for this word.
Rarely used kanji form.
Compound of 稀 (rare) and 覯 (to see, meet). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys something rarely seen or encountered.