不気味・無気味|ぶきみbukimi[0]heiban (flat)

1. na-adjectiveweird; eerie; ominous; creepy; uncanny; unearthly
   急きゅうに笑わらい出ださないでよ。不気味ぶきみだから。↗

   Don't burst out laughing like that. It's creepy.

• Synonym怪奇かいきWrittenWritten/formal: mostly in compounds like 「怪奇現象」 and 「怪奇小説」, describing the bizarre, eerie quality itself; 「不気味」 is about the shiver it gives you.
• Synonym底気味悪いそこきみわるいNeutralAn eerie unease whose cause you cannot put into words, felt from deep inside; it stresses the deep-seated fear more than 「不気味」.
• Synonym気味悪いきみわるいNeutralColloquial: something that makes you uncomfortable or gives you the creeps. 「不気味」 puts more weight on the eeriness of not knowing what lies behind it.
• Synonym薄気味悪いうすきみわるいNeutralA vague, creeping sense of eeriness, milder in degree; largely interchangeable with 「不気味」.
• Related妙みょうNeutralStrange or unusual, and also skillful or excellent; 「不気味」 carries a sinister, frightening feel.
• Related奇妙きみょうNeutralStrange or mysterious but not necessarily frightening; 「不気味」 adds the sense of something that scares you.
• Related不思議ふしぎNeutralIncredible or beyond explanation, often with wonder or even fondness; carries no eerie sense.
• Related異様いようNeutralClearly different from the norm and often unsettling; 「不気味」 leans further into the ghastly, creepy feeling.
• Related風変わりふうがわりNeutralA somewhat unusual character or appearance, mostly a neutral judgment; no hint of horror.
• Related怪しげあやしげNeutralLooks suspicious or unreliable; the emphasis is on doubtfulness, not necessarily on being scary.
• Related怪しいあやしいNeutralSuspicious or unreliable, and can also mean eerie; 「不気味」 centers on the unease of not knowing where something comes from.
• Related奇怪きかいNeutralBizarre and defying common sense, and can also mean outrageous; 「不気味」 stresses the ghastly feel.
• Related変へんNeutralThe most colloquial of the group: simply odd or not quite right; not necessarily frightening.
• Related怪異かいいWrittenWritten/formal: bizarre happenings or monsters and apparitions themselves; 「不気味」 describes the feeling a person has.
• Related奇態きたいWrittenWritten/formal, with an old-fashioned ring: bizarre and out of the ordinary, not necessarily frightening.
• RelatedけったいCasualColloquial Kansai dialect: odd or strange, often with a humorous or annoyed tone; not necessarily eerie.
• Related奇矯ききょうWrittenWritten/formal: speech and behavior strikingly out of the ordinary; it describes what people say and do.
• Related珍奇ちんきWrittenWritten/formal: rare and novel, with a sense of curiosity about the unusual; nothing frightening.
• Related突飛とっぴNeutralIdeas or behavior that are wildly unexpected or offbeat; no eerie connotation.
• Related面妖めんようWrittenWritten/formal and old-fashioned: strange or mysterious, heard mostly in period dramas; little used today.
• Related奇きWrittenA single-character word for the strange and eccentric, mostly in set phrases like 「奇をてらう」; also means odd numbers.
• Related妖しいあやしいWrittenWritten/formal: bewitchingly alluring and captivating, as in 「妖しい美しさ」, and can carry admiration; 「不気味」 only makes you uneasy, with no attractive side.
• Antonym明朗めいろうWrittenAntonym, written/formal: cheerful, bright and aboveboard — the direct opposite of the dark, sinister feel of 「不気味」.

Use 「不気味」 for the eerie, sinister feeling something gives off when you cannot tell what it is. In casual speech 「気味悪い」 and 「薄気味悪い」 work much the same way, the latter milder. If something is merely strange, say 「変」 or 「奇妙」; if it seems suspicious, 「怪しい」. 「妙」, 「不思議」, 「風変わり」 and 「突飛」 describe oddity with no hint of horror, while 「妖しい」 adds a bewitching allure. For written prose, 「怪異」, 「怪奇」 and 「面妖」 are the literary choices.

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

1. 正体しょうたいや実体じったいが分わからず、気味きみが悪わるいこと。