素敵

Japanese

Kanji in this term

Grade: 5
てき
Grade: 5
on’yomi

Alternative forms

  • 素的

Etymology

Originally a compound of (su, abbreviation of 素晴らしい (subarashii, wonderful, superb)) + (-teki, -ish, -like, adjectivizing suffix).[1][2][3][4] First appears in the Edo period.[1][2][3]

The use of (teki, enemy) instead of (teki, -ish, -like) is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

Adjective

素敵 (-na inflection, hiragana すてき, katakana ステキ, rōmaji suteki)

  1. lovely
    素敵 (すてき)だね
    suteki da ne
    Isn't it wonderful?
  2. wonderful, splendid

Usage notes

  • This is an example of a word that can be spelled with katakana to convey an informal conversational tone.
  • Generally regarded as an informal word to be used in speech, and not in formal writing.[4]

Inflection

Synonyms

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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