奇妙

きみょう · kimyou · JLPT N3 · na-adj

strange

奇 odd + 妙 mysterious = strange, curious; kimyou ~ key-meow, an odd cat

奇 means odd or unusual (also in 奇数, odd number), and 妙 means subtle or uncanny. Together they describe something oddly puzzling. Sound hook: a cat that says key-meow instead of meow is a kimyou cat.

妙 — woman radical 女 + few 少
妙 is a semantic-phonetic compound. 女 (woman) suggests delicacy or beauty, while 少 (few/young) provides the sound and hints at youthful slenderness. The original sense was 'subtle, delicate, exquisite,' later extending to 'wonderful' or 'marvelous.'

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