Chinese word

奇怪

Pronunciation

Pinyinqí guài

Meaning

  • adjectivestrange

Example

她今天看起来奇怪。tā jīn tiān kàn qǐ lái qí guài

She looks strange today.

Illustration for 奇怪 (strange)

More examples

她今天的表情有点奇怪。tā jīn tiān de biǎo qíng yóu diǎn qí guài

Her facial expression looks a little strange today.

Core concept

Something that does not fit the expected pattern and therefore catches attention as odd.

Common phrases

  • 看起来奇怪kàn qǐ lái qí guài

    look strange

  • 有点奇怪yóu diǎn qí guài

    a little strange

Definition in Chinese

用来形容某人或某事与常态不符，使人觉得古怪、可疑或不协调，语气可轻可重。yòng lái xíng róng mǒu rén huò mǒu shì yǔ cháng tài bù fú shǐ rén jué de gǔ guài kě yí huò bù xié tiáo yǔ qì kě qīng kě zhòng

Word origin

奇怪 (qíguài, "strange") combines 奇 (qí, "unusual") + 怪 (guài, "strange or uncanny"), joining two ideas of deviation from what is expected.

Usage tips

  • When applied to a person, this adjective can sound critical, so everyday conversation often softens the statement with a reason or a description of the unusual behavior.

Other meanings

  • peculiaradjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word