レア

れあ

na-adjective, noun

rare, uncommon

1. rare, uncommon, hard to find

Something that is scarce, unusual, or difficult to obtain. Widely used in collecting, gaming, and everyday conversation.

レアなカードを手(て)に入(い)れた。

I got a rare card.

これはかなりレアな品物(しなもの)ですよ。

This is quite a rare item, you know.

野生(やせい)のパンダを見(み)られるのはとてもレアな体験(たいけん)だ。

Seeing a wild panda is a very rare experience.

2. rare (cooking)

Meat cooked so that the inside remains red and barely cooked, especially for steak.

ステーキはレアでお願(ねが)いします。

I'd like my steak rare, please.

レアに焼(や)いた牛肉(ぎゅうにく)が好(す)きだ。

I like beef cooked rare.

ミディアムレアくらいの焼(や)き加減(かげん)が一番(いちばん)美味(おい)しいと思(おも)う。

I think medium-rare is the most delicious level of doneness.

Usage

Sense 1 is extremely common in gaming and collecting culture, where items are graded by rarity (レア, スーパーレア, ウルトラレア). It has spread into general conversation as a casual way to say something is uncommon or special. The Japanese word 珍(めずら)しい covers similar ground but is the standard native word.

Sense 2 is used when ordering steak at restaurants. The doneness scale in Japanese is: レア → ミディアムレア → ミディアム → ウェルダン.

Common collocations

レアな体験(たいけん): rare experience
レアもの / レア品(ひん): rare item
レアで焼(や)く: to cook rare

Related Words

Synonym: 珍(めずら)しい (rare, unusual)

Compare: 稀少(きしょう) (rare)

Compare: 生焼(なまや)け (undercooked)

Compare: 半生(はんなま) (half-raw)

general

Added 2026.2.15 18:16 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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