Have you ever wondered what the word omoshiroi [面白い] really means in Japanese? In this article, we will conduct a complete analysis of this word and understand its meanings, uses, etymology, inflections, origin, and secrets.
The word omoshiroi [面白い] is used as an i-type adjective [い] that means interesting, fascinating, and intriguing. It can also mean fun, pleasant, funny, comical, satisfying, favorable, desirable, encouraging, and good.
The word [面白い] is the junction of the ideogram [面] which means mask, surface, features and face, together with the ideogram [白] which means white. White represents something bright and clear, also an innocent person.
Table of Content
Etymology and Origin of Omoshiroi
Its origin is unknown, but its etymology is clear. The character [面] here doesn't mean face, but it's the scenery spread out in front of your eyes. It can also represent your face's reaction to seeing something pleasant and interesting.
White meaning bright and clear represents the face of a person who is looking at a beauty or landscape that they find interesting. So when you see a bright and clear scene in front of you, it invokes a pleasant feeling.
This pleasant feeling was later expanded to mean "fun" or "attractive" and then expanded to mean "interesting". The word is a "yamatokotoba" of Japanese origin, with no relation to words of Chinese origin.
another theory: In the old days, people used to talk around the fire at night. When someone said something interesting, the smiling faces of the others lifted and appeared white in the firelight. Thus, interesting conversations lead to the whiteness that appears before the eyes.
Words related to and derived from Omoshiroi
The word can be adapted to expressions like omoshiroiyouni [面白いように] which means easily or without any effort. In the Kansai dialect, omoshiroi can be spoken as omoroi [おもろい].
The opposite or contrary of omoshiroi can be tsumaranai [つまらない] which means boring, trivial and useless. Or also ajikenai [あじけない] which means tedious, tasteless, tiresome, irritating, miserable and vain.
A synonym is kyoumibukai [興味深い] which literally means very interesting or of great interest, a higher value than omoshiroi, but not so commonly used.
We also have the noun omoshiromi [面白み] which can refer to an interest, resource, fun, or attraction. Another noun is omoshirosa [面白さ] and omoshiroge [おもしろげ] which also means interest and fun.
We have the combination of two words omoshirookashi [おもしろおかしい] which means humorous; funny; fun; ridiculous; hilarious; comedic and jocular. We also have a godan verb omoshirogaru [面白がる] which means to have fun, to enjoy, to think about having fun;
We cannot fail to mention the Japanese adjectives ureshii and tanoshii that are closely related to the word omoshiroi. Both words are adjectives that represent something happy, cheerful, fun, but each has its differences.
Inflection and Conjugation of Omoshiroku
The adverb of the adjective omoshiroi is omoshiroku [面白く]. Below we will leave the possible inflections of the word omoshiroi and its adverb for you to examine and study slowly:
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| Inflection | Japanese | Romaji |
| Imperfect (未然形) | 面白かろ | omoshirokarō |
| I continue (連用形) | 面白く | omoshiroku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 面白い | -- |
| Attributive (連体形) | 面白い | -- |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 面白けれ | omoshirokere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 面白かれ | omoshirokare |
| Informal negative | 面白くない | omoshiroku nai |
| Informal past | 面白かった | omoshirokatta |
| Past negative informal | 面白くなかった | omoshiroku nakatta |
| Formal | 面白いです | omoshiroi desu |
| Formal negative | 面白くないです | omoshiroku nai desu |
| Formal past | 面白かったです | omoshirokatta desu |
| Past negative formal | 面白くなかったです | omoshiroku nakatta desu |
| connective | 面白くて | omoshirokute |
| Conditional | 面白ければ | omoshirokereba |
| Provisional | 面白かったら | omoshirokattara |
| Volitional | 面白かろう | omoshirokarō |
| Adverbial | 面白く | omoshiroku |
| Grade | 面白さ | omoshirosa |
Example sentences with Omoshiroi
外国人って面白いなあ。 gaikokuzin tte omoshiroi naa. Foreigners are interesting.
人は子供たちに面白い話をした。 Hito wa kodomo-tachi ni omoshiroi hanashi o shita. People told the children an interesting story.
料理することは面白い。 Ryōri suru koto wa omoshiroi. Cooking is fun.
Omoshiroi in English
Although we translate the meanings to Portuguese, it might be good to highlight the words in English that represent the meaning of omoshiroi. The English language often has more words to represent than Portuguese.
In English, according to jisho.org, the word omoshiroi means: interesting; fascinating; intriguing; enthralling; amusing; funny; comical; enjoyable; fun; entertaining; pleasant; agreeable; good; satisfactory; favourable; desirable; encouraging.