1.
magic trick; conjuring; sleight of hand; stage magic
The art or performance of stage magic — making objects appear, disappear, or transform in ways that seem impossible. A somewhat formal or old-fashioned word compared to the common loanword マジック.
奇術を見せる。
To perform a magic trick.
祖父は得意な奇術で子供たちを喜ばせた。
My grandfather delighted the children with his specialty magic trick.
奇術師は観客の目の前でコインを消してみせた。
The magician made a coin vanish right before the audience's eyes.
伝統的な日本の奇術は、和傘や扇子などの道具を巧みに使う。
Traditional Japanese magic skillfully uses tools such as paper umbrellas and folding fans.
Composed of 奇 (strange, marvelous, curious) and 術 (art, technique, skill). Refers to the art of performing illusions — card tricks, coin tricks, vanishing acts, and stage magic more broadly.
REGISTER: Somewhat formal or old-fashioned. In everyday conversation, the loanword マジック or 手品 is far more common. 奇術 is still used in literary contexts, for traditional Japanese stage magic, and in the word 奇術師 (professional magician).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 奇術を行う: to perform a magic trick (formal)
- 奇術師: a magician, conjurer
- 奇術{ショー}: a magic show
- 奇術の腕: skill at magic
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 手品: magic trick, sleight of hand — the everyday native word; most common in casual speech
- マジック: magic — the common English loanword; used for card magic, stage shows, and modern entertainment
- 魔術: magic, sorcery — refers to supposed real magic or witchcraft, not stage tricks
- 幻術: illusion, sorcery — more literary; used for supernatural illusions in fiction