Fushigi is the Japanese word for ‘wonder’, explained

What does “fushigi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “fushigi” to mean ‘wonder’ or ‘mystery’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its origin. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “fushigi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “fushigi”
• Origin of “fushigi”
  • Example #1: how to say “wonder” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “fushigi”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “fushigi”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “fushigi”.

• fushigi – 不思議 (ふしぎ) : a noun meaning ‘wonder’ or ‘mystery’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to something that makes them wonder or the feeling of wonder itself. So, its usage is similar to those of the English nouns above, I think.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its original kanji expression in detail.

Origin of “fushigi”

“Fushigi” originally came from the Buddhism word, “fukashigi”, which consists of the following two kanji expressions:

• fuka – 不可 (ふか) : a commonly-used prefix to add the meaning of ‘not possible’.
• shigi – 思議 (しぎ) : a noun meaning ‘conjecture’.

From these two parts, we can understand that “fukashigi” literally means ‘guessing is not possible’ or just ‘cannot guess’. The shortened version, “fushigi”, still has the same concept today. In the Japanese language, therefore, “wonder” and “mystery” are considered as things we cannot guess.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their original concepts behind. In many cases, the original concepts tell us a lot about the meanings of the current expressions. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “fushigi” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “wonder” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kore” to make the subject in the sentence.
• seimei – 生命 (せいめい) : a noun meaning ‘life’ in a broad sense in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “seimei” and “fushigi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘a wonder of life’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “seimei no fushigi” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “fushigi”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “seimei no fushigi”, which means ‘a wonder of life’ in Japanese. When we want to say “wonder” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “fushigi”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• korera – これら : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘these’ or ‘they’ in Japanese. This is the plural form of “kore” explained in the last example.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “korera” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.
• sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ in Japanese.
• nana – 七 (なな) : a numeral meaning ‘seven’ in Japanese. In the example, this works before “fushigi” to say ‘the seven wonders’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “fushigi”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “atarashii sekai no nana fushigi”, which literally means ‘the new seven wonders of the world’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “fushigi” in detail based on its original kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• fushigi – 不思議 (ふしぎ) : a noun meaning ‘wonder’ or ‘mystery’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This noun originally came from the Buddhism word, “fukashigi”, which literally means ‘guessing is not possible’ or just ‘cannot guess’. In the Japanese language, therefore, “wonder” and “mystery” are considered as things we cannot guess. When we want to say “wonder” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.