How to say "singular" in Japanese

• 特異とくいCommon
  na-adjective, nounCovers 'singular' in the sense of peculiar or one of a kind: a person, talent, or phenomenon that stands out markedly from the ordinary. The nuance is striking deviation from what is normal.
  マイヤーとその同僚どうりょうの研究けんきゅうは特異とくいなものだった。↗

  The study by Meyer and his colleagues was unusual.
• 異例いれいCommon
  no-adjective, na-adjectiveOnly a loose match for 'singular': it really means exceptional or unprecedented, describing a case that departs from ordinary practice — the word for an exceptional case, not for something peculiarly distinctive.
  それは全まったく異例いれいのことだ。↗

  That's an unusual thing, undoubtedly.
• 異色いしょくCommon
  no-adjective, na-adjectiveMatches 'singular' in the sense of distinctive or strikingly different: a work, style, or figure that stands out refreshingly from its peers, often with an appreciative, novel rather than merely odd nuance.
  われわれの仲間なかまではあなたは異色いしょくの存在そんざいだった。↗

  You stood out in our circle.
• 単数たんすうJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounStrictly the grammatical sense: 'singular' as a number category, opposed to plural. When discussing grammar or counting, this is the word; it never expresses the qualitative 'singular' of something peculiar or distinctive.

Use 単数 only for the grammatical sense; 特異 for people or things that are peculiar or one of a kind; 異色 for distinctively striking cases; 異例 really means exceptional or unprecedented rather than singular.

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

• 特異とくいunique
• 異例いれいexceptional
• 異色いしょくunique
• 珍無類ちんむるいextraordinary
• 稀に見るまれにみるrare
• 単数たんすうsingular (number)
• 単称たんしょうsingular