strange; odd
HSK level
奇怪 (qíguài) is the adjective for 'strange,' 'odd,' or 'weird' — describing something that surprises you because it doesn't fit expectations.
It applies broadly: a strange smell (奇怪的味道), strange behavior (奇怪的行为), a strange feeling (奇怪的感觉). It can also function as a verb of inner experience: 我很奇怪他为什么不来 ('I find it strange why he didn't come'). Two distinctions for English speakers: first, 奇怪 carries puzzlement more than judgment — it means 'this is unexpected,' not necessarily 'this is bad' (compare 'weird' in English, which can sound dismissive).
Second, the exclamatory 奇怪！on its own is extremely common — like English 'That's weird!' when something goes wrong (a missing key, a closed shop). Both characters mean 'strange,' so the compound is doubled for emphasis.
Character by character
Memory hook: Strange + strange = doubly strange = definitely weird.
奇怪 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
这个声音很奇怪。
Zhège shēngyīn hěn qíguài.
This sound is very strange.
spoken
奇怪，我的钥匙在哪儿？
Qíguài, wǒ de yàoshi zài nǎr?
How strange — where are my keys?
spoken
他今天的样子有点奇怪。
Tā jīntiān de yàngzi yǒudiǎn qíguài.
He looks a bit strange today.
spoken
我觉得这件事很奇怪。
Wǒ juéde zhè jiàn shì hěn qíguài.
I find this matter very strange.
neutral
不要做奇怪的动作。
Búyào zuò qíguài de dòngzuò.
Don't make strange movements.
neutral
奇怪 is written with 16 strokes (奇: 8, 怪: 8). Tap replay to watch each character drawn again.
怪 alone can mean 'strange / weird' more colloquially (这人很怪 = this person is weird). 奇怪 is the standard two-character adjective. 怪 also has the meaning 'to blame' (别怪我 = don't blame me), which 奇怪 lacks.
奇特 means 'peculiar / unusual / unique' with a slightly positive or admiring tone — like English 'remarkable.' 奇怪 is more neutral or puzzled. A unique design is 奇特; a strange noise at night is 奇怪.
奇妙 means 'wonderful / marvelous' — strange in a positive, magical sense. 奇怪 means strange in a puzzling sense. Nature's beauty is 奇妙; a missing wallet is 奇怪.
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