How to say "exotic" in Japanese

• エキゾチックCommon
  na-adjectiveCovers 'exotic' in its full, general sense: places, people, styles, or atmospheres that feel strikingly foreign or different. As a common loanword, it is the word you want where English says 'exotic'.
• バタ臭いバタくさい
  i-adjectiveIts 'exotic' sense is really 'Western-influenced, Occidental-looking': something with a noticeable Western flavor, from the literal 'smelling of butter'. Less common, and seldom the word you want for 'exotic' in general.

Use 「エキゾチック」 for 'exotic' in its general sense of strikingly foreign or different; 「バタ臭い」, less common, really means 'Western-influenced, Occidental-looking', so it fits when the foreignness is specifically a Western flavor.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• エキゾチックexotic
• バタ臭いバタくさいWestern-influenced
• 南蛮なんばんforeign (of goods from South-East Asia and Western Europe)