noun, na-adjective
mystery; strangeness; bizarre phenomenon
Refers to something eerie, inexplicable, or uncanny; can be used as a noun or adjectivally with な. Often appears in literary or descriptive contexts.
その村では怪異な出来事が続いた。
Strange events continued in that village.
彼は怪異の世界に魅せられている。
He is fascinated by the world of the mysterious.
noun
Concrete supernatural being: ghost, specter, goblin, or monstrous entity. Used in folklore, horror, and fantasy contexts.
古い屋敷には怪異が出ると言われている。
They say a ghost appears in the old mansion.
この絵巻には様々な怪異が描かれている。
Various monsters are depicted in this picture scroll.
Compound of 怪 (kai, 'strange, mysterious') and 異 (i, 'unusual, different'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used since classical times to denote the eerie and supernatural.