神々(こうごう)しい

こうごうしい
i-adjective
divine, sublime, majestic
literaryemotionreligionappearance
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present神々(こうごう)しい神々(こうごう)しくない
Past神々(こうごう)しかった神々(こうごう)しくなかった
て form神々(こうごう)しくて神々(こうごう)しくなくて
Adverbial神々(こうごう)しく—
Conditional ば神々(こうごう)しければ神々(こうごう)しくなければ
Conditional たら神々(こうごう)しかったら神々(こうごう)しくなかったら
1. divine, sublime, majestic, awe-inspiring
Having a sacred, awe-inspiring beauty or grandeur that evokes a sense of the divine.
神々(こうごう)しい雰囲気(ふんいき)。
A divine atmosphere.
朝日(あさひ)に照(て)らされた山(やま)は神々(こうごう)しかった。
The mountain illuminated by the morning sun was majestic.
When I stepped into the forest of the old shrine, I was enveloped in a sublime atmosphere.

Etymology

Built on 神(かみ) (god) repeated, plus the adjective ending しい: "godlike." The reading こうごう comes from a sound change in the older form; the same characters read 神々(かみがみ) mean "gods."

Usage

Used to describe places, scenes, or atmospheres that evoke a sacred or transcendent quality. Particularly common when describing natural scenery, temples, shrines, and moments of extraordinary beauty.

Common collocations