気味悪(きみわる)い

きみわるい
adjective (i)
creepy, eerie
1. creepy, eerie, uncanny
Causing an uncomfortable, unsettling feeling. Describes something that feels wrong or sinister in a way that is hard to explain.
気味悪(きみわる)い音(おと)がする。
There's a creepy sound.
あの廃墟(はいきょ)は気味悪(きみわる)い雰囲気(ふんいき)だ。
That ruin has an eerie atmosphere.
誰(だれ)もいないはずの部屋(へや)から足音(あしおと)が聞(き)こえて気味悪(きみわる)かった。
I heard footsteps from a room where nobody should be, and it was creepy.

FORMS:

  • Adverbial: 気味悪(きみわる)く
  • Noun form: 気味悪(きみわる)さ

CONJUGATION:

  • Negative: 気味悪(きみわる)くない
  • Te-form: 気味悪(きみわる)くて
  • Past: 気味悪(きみわる)かった

VARIANT READING:
Also read as きびわるい in some regions, but きみわるい is standard.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 気味悪(きみわる)い vs. 怖(こわ)い — 気味悪(きみわる)い emphasizes an uncanny, unsettling quality, while 怖(こわ)い is general fear
  • 気味悪(きみわる)い vs. 不気味(ぶきみ) — 不気味(ぶきみ) (na-adjective) is similar in meaning and more commonly used in formal writing
general
Added 2026.2.9 0:14
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