Meaning

Primary

Enchanting

Alternatives

Bewitching, Mysterious, Eerie

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

The kanji can mean enchanting, and that's what this adjective means too: enchanting! You could even call it bewitching.

妖しい is for mysterious, eerie, or beautiful and otherworldly stuff that bewitches you somehow. Try not to get it mixed up with 怪しい (suspicious), which has the same reading!

Reading

あやしい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This word uses a kun'yomi reading you haven't seen yet, so here's a mnemonic:

Who has an enchanting atmosphere about them? Aya (あや). As in our artist Aya. Not only is Aya enchanting, so is her amazing artwork.

Since this word also shares a reading with 怪しい (suspicious), which you learned a while ago, you could remember it that way too. Just don't get them mixed up!

Context

Pattern of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 妖しい美しさ

    enchanting beauty

    妖しい光

    mysterious glow

    妖しい笑み

    enigmatic smile

    妖しい雰囲気

    eerie atmosphere

    妖しい魅力

    enchanting charm, bewitching allure

Context Sentences

今夜は月が赤く、どこか妖しく見えた。

Tonight, the moon was red and looked strangely alluring.

夜道を歩いていると、妖しい光がゆれた。

As I walked down a dark street, I saw an eerie light flickering.

近づくと、一人の美しい女性が、妖しい笑みを浮かべて立っていた。

When I got closer, a beautiful woman was standing there with an enchanting smile on her face.

彼女が「待ってたわ」と妖しくささやいたので、心臓がドキドキした。でも、僕の後ろの男に言っていただけだった。

She whispered seductively, "I've been waiting for you," and my heart started pounding. But it turned out she was just talking to the man behind me.

Kanji Composition