WORD DETAIL
希有
けう
Examples
Included kanji
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure:
希有is read asけうand is a na-adjective describing something as extremely rare or exceptional. - Basic usage: An exceptional person appears in
希有な演奏家, while a rare document appears in資料は希有である.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- A high degree of rarity
- It is a formal evaluation suggesting something is exceptionally difficult to encounter, not merely uncommon.
- Difference from
珍しい- Compared with the everyday word for unusual or rare, this term has a more literary sense of exceptional rarity.

