What does it mean word for word?
これ means "this" (referring to something near the speaker) and 面白い can mean both "interesting" and "funny".
Which one should you use?
You can use different forms depending on the level of interest and politeness. For example, これはおもしろい is an informal version. To express a higher degree of interest, such as "I am very interested," you can use まさに興味津々です.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of politeness changes depending on the ending of the phrase. For a polite version suitable for most social situations, use これは面白いです. In formal contexts, you might use これは興味深いです to say "This is interesting." The version めっちゃおもろい is informal and means "This is super interesting."
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the tone of the phrase by adding particles at the end. Adding the particle ね to the end of a phrase, as in これは面白いね or これ、面白いね, makes it sound more conversational and seeks agreement from the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
kore wa omoshiroi
Did you know?
- The word 面白い originally described the feeling of a cool breeze on a hot day. It literally meant 'interesting' in the sense of being 'refreshing' or 'pleasing to the senses'.
- In many Japanese social settings, saying 面白い to a person's idea can actually be a subtle way of being dismissive or sarcastic. It can imply that the idea is 'novel' or 'strange' rather than actually good.
- The phrase 興味津々 used for deep interest contains the character 津, which means 'port' or 'harbor'. This creates a visual metaphor of interest flowing in like a tide of water.
Examples in context
- この映画はとても面白かったですThis movie was very interesting.
- この話題は本当に興味深いですねThis topic is really interesting, isn't it?
- これは面白いです。Kore wa omoshiroi desu.This is interesting.
- これは面白い本だ。Kore wa omoshiroi hon da.This is an interesting book.
- これは面白いニュースですね。Kore wa omoshiroi nyuusu desu ne.This is interesting news, isn't it?
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are looking at a strange gadget in a shop.
- 陽太 Yota結衣、これ見て。これは面白いよ。Yui, kore mite. Kore wa omoshiroi yo.Yui, look at this. This is interesting.
- 結衣 Yui本当だね。どうやって使うの？Hontō da ne. Dō yatte tsukau no?You're right. How do you use it?
- 陽太 Yotaボタンを押すと音が鳴るんだ。Botan o osu to oto ga naru n da.It makes a sound when you press the button.
- 結衣 Yui不思議な道具だね。Fushigina dōgu da ne.It's a mysterious tool, isn't it?
