ミステリー

みすてりー
noun
mystery (genre); mystery; enigma
entertainmentmedia
1. mystery (genre)
The mystery genre in fiction, film, and other media, especially detective and crime stories.
ミステリー小説(しょうせつ)が好(す)きだ。
I like mystery novels.
日本(にほん)のミステリーは海外(かいがい)でも人気(にんき)がある。
Japanese mystery fiction is popular overseas too.
この作品(さくひん)は本格(ほんかく)ミステリーとして高(たか)く評価(ひょうか)されている。
This work is highly regarded as an authentic mystery.
2. mystery; enigma; unsolved puzzle
Something unexplained, strange, or puzzling.
それはミステリーだ。
That's a mystery.
彼(かれ)の失踪(しっそう)はミステリーに包(つつ)まれている。
His disappearance is shrouded in mystery.
科学(かがく)では説明(せつめい)できないミステリーが世界中(せかいじゅう)にある。
There are mysteries around the world that science cannot explain.

A loanword from English 'mystery.' In Japanese, the genre sense is dominant — ミステリー most commonly refers to mystery fiction (detective stories, whodunits, crime novels). The 'enigma' sense is also used but less frequent.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 推理(すいり)小説(しょうせつ): detective fiction — a near-synonym for the genre, but emphasizes deductive reasoning
  • 謎(なぞ): riddle, mystery — a native Japanese word for the 'enigma' sense
  • サスペンス: suspense — a related but distinct genre emphasizing tension rather than puzzle-solving

Related Words

Compare: 推理(すいり)小説(しょうせつ) (detective fiction)
Compare: 謎(なぞ) (riddle, mystery)
general
Added 2026.4.7 23:10 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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