(ものめずら)しい

ものめずらしい
i-adjective
unusual; novel; curious
descriptive
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present物珍(ものめずら)しい物珍(ものめずら)しくない
Past物珍(ものめずら)しかった物珍(ものめずら)しくなかった
て form物珍(ものめずら)しくて物珍(ものめずら)しくなくて
Adverbial物珍(ものめずら)しく
Conditional ば物珍(ものめずら)しければ物珍(ものめずら)しくなければ
Conditional たら物珍(ものめずら)しかったら物珍(ものめずら)しくなかったら
1. unusual; novel; curious; unfamiliar
Describes something that catches one's interest because it is rare or unfamiliar. Often implies looking at something with wide-eyed curiosity, as if encountering it for the first time.
子供(こども)たち物珍(ものめずら)しそう()ていた
The children were watching with curiosity.
I was curious about foreign foods and tried all sorts of things.
I've gotten completely used to rural life, which at first seemed so novel.

Usage

物珍(ものめずら)しい often appears in the adverbial form 物珍(ものめずら)しそう ("as if finding something novel") to describe the way someone looks at or reacts to something unfamiliar. The nuance is lighter than (めずら)しい alone, emphasizing the curiosity of the observer.

Common collocations

  • 物珍(ものめずら)しそう() (to look at with curiosity)
  • 物珍(ものめずら)しさ (novelty, unfamiliarity)
  • 物珍(ものめずら)しい()() (to look at with curious eyes)

Similar words

(めずら)しい is the more common and general word for "rare" or "unusual." 物珍(ものめずら)しい specifically emphasizes the viewer's sense of novelty and curiosity.