興 味 津々(きょうみしんしん)

きょうみしんしん

na-adjective, no-adjective, taru-adjective

very interested; full of curiosity

1. very interested; full of curiosity; with keen interest

Describes a state of being deeply curious or fascinated by something. A four-character compound (四字熟語(よじじゅくご)) where 津々(しんしん) means 'overflowing' or 'welling up,' so the literal sense is 'interest overflowing.'

子供(こども)たちは興味津々(きょうみしんしん)だった。

The children were full of curiosity.

彼女(かのじょ)は興味津々(きょうみしんしん)な表情(ひょうじょう)で話(はなし)を聞(き)いていた。

She was listening to the story with a look of keen interest.

初(はじ)めて見(み)る外国(がいこく)の料理(りょうり)に、みんな興味津々(きょうみしんしん)で質問(しつもん)が止(と)まらなかった。

Everyone was so curious about the foreign food they were seeing for the first time that the questions wouldn't stop.

A 四字熟語(よじじゅくご) (four-character compound). 津々(しんしん) means 'overflowing' or 'welling up endlessly,' so the expression literally conveys interest that keeps bubbling up.

Common collocations

興味津々(きょうみしんしん)な表情(ひょうじょう) — a look of keen interest
興味津々(きょうみしんしん)で見(み)る — to watch with great curiosity
興味津々(きょうみしんしん)な様子(ようす) — an air of fascination

Usage

Can function as a な-adjective (興味津々(きょうみしんしん)な), a の-adjective (興味津々(きょうみしんしん)の), or a たる-adjective (興味津々(きょうみしんしん)たる), though the な form is most common in modern usage. Also used as a predicate with だ: 興味津々(きょうみしんしん)だ (to be very interested).

Similar words

好奇心旺盛(こうきしんおうせい) — insatiably curious (describes a personality trait, while 興味津々(きょうみしんしん) describes a momentary state)
興味(きょうみ)がある — to be interested (neutral, less emphatic)

Related Words

Compare: 好奇心旺盛(こうきしんおうせい) (insatiably curious)

general

Added 2026.3.25 17:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

19000/19317_kyoumishinshin