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) where 津々 means 'overflowing' or 'welling up,' so the literal sense is 'interest overflowing.'
子供たちは興味津々だった。
The children were full of curiosity.
彼女は興味津々な表情で話を聞いていた。
She was listening to the story with a look of keen interest.
初めて見る外国の料理に、みんな興味津々で質問が止まらなかった。
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 (four-character compound). 津々 means 'overflowing' or 'welling up endlessly,' so the expression literally conveys interest that keeps bubbling up.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 興味津々な表情 — a look of keen interest
- 興味津々で見る — to watch with great curiosity
- 興味津々な様子 — an air of fascination
USAGE:
Can function as a な-adjective (興味津々な), a の-adjective (興味津々の), or a たる-adjective (興味津々たる), though the な form is most common in modern usage. Also used as a predicate with だ: 興味津々だ (to be very interested).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 好奇心旺盛 — insatiably curious (describes a personality trait, while 興味津々 describes a momentary state)
- 興味がある — to be interested (neutral, less emphatic)