adj.
strange; weird; odd
奇怪
strange; weird; odd
Strange, odd, or surprising (奇 rare/unusual + 怪 strange/monster); describes unexpected behavior or unusual occurrences.
Common Usage & Traps
- 很奇怪 — very strange; weird (plain description)
- 太奇怪了 — that's so weird! (gut reaction)
- 觉得奇怪 — to find something strange
- 奇怪的声音 — a strange sound
- 奇怪的是 — the strange thing is...
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它奇怪它很奇怪A bare adjective with no 很 sounds like you got cut off mid-sentence. 很 is the glue that holds a plain description together.
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它是奇怪它很奇怪You're dragging English 'it is strange' straight into Chinese. 是 only appears in front of an adjective when you're stressing or correcting, not in a plain statement.
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太奇怪太奇怪了太 and 了 are a package deal. Chop the 了 and the exclamation feels clipped, like you ran out of breath.
Why does 很奇怪 need 很 — can't I just say 它奇怪?
Never drop 很 — 它奇怪 alone sounds like a sentence that got cut off.
Chinese uses 很 as glue when describing something with an adjective. 它很奇怪 means 'it's strange'. Drop the 很 and 它奇怪 sounds like you're mid-comparison or the sentence broke off. And do not sneak 是 in: 它是奇怪 is just English 'it is strange' dragged into Chinese. 是 only shows up before adjectives when you're stressing or correcting, never in a plain statement.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Plain statement | 他今天很奇怪 | 他今天奇怪 |
| With 是 | 他今天很奇怪 | 他今天是奇怪 |
| Before a noun | 一件奇怪的事 | 一件奇怪事 |
What's the difference between 太奇怪了 and 很奇怪?
太奇怪了 is a gut reaction — 'so weird!'. 很奇怪 is a calm fact — 'quite strange'.
Use 太……了 when your feelings burst out: surprise, disbelief, discomfort. Use 很奇怪 when you're stating a fact with no drama attached. If your roommate walks in wearing a full clown costume, you blurt 太奇怪了. If you're writing a report, you write 这个结果很奇怪. The 了 on 太奇怪了 is mandatory — chop it and the whole thing sounds clipped.
“太奇怪了！” (That's just too weird!)
“太奇怪了！” (That's just too weird!)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Blurting a reaction | 太奇怪了！ | 太奇怪 |
| Calm description | 这个结果很奇怪 | 这个结果太奇怪了 |
| With a person's look | 他今天很奇怪 | 他今天太奇怪了 (too dramatic) |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Follow Xiao Li as he copes with the effects of forest fires near his home in the US and reflects on environmental changes. A thoughtful story for HSK 4 learners.
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可是今年很 奇怪 ，天上很少有云，也很少下雨，一直非常热。
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
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太 奇怪 了！
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