珍しい

めずらしい

unusual, rare

i-adjective

Conjugation Table

Present

珍しい

Negative

珍しくない

Past

珍しかった

Past Negative

珍しくなかった

Te Form

珍しくて

Adverbial

珍しく

Conditional

珍しければ

Presumptive

珍しいでしょう

Example Sentences

この果物は珍しいです。

This fruit is unusual.

Kono kudamono wa mezurashii desu.

あの店で珍しい本を見つけました。

I found a rare book at that shop.

Ano mise de mezurashii hon o mitsukemashita.

そんな珍しくない料理は食べたくない。

I don't want to eat such an ordinary dish.

Sonna mezurashikunai ryouri wa tabetakunai.

Grammar Notes & Usage Tips

•Conjugation Basics**: As an i-adjective, 珍しい (めずらしい) follows the standard conjugation pattern. For example, in the negative form, it becomes 珍しくない (めずらしくない), meaning "not unusual" or "not rare."

•Particle Pairing**: When describing something as unusual, use the particle が with 珍しい. For instance, 犬が珍しい (いぬがめずらしい) means "The dog is unusual."

•Common Mistake Alert**: Be careful not to confuse 珍しい with 面白い (おもしろい, interesting). While both can describe intriguing things, 珍しい emphasizes rarity or uniqueness, not just interest.

•Past Tense Tip**: To express that something was unusual, use 珍しかった (めずらしかった). So, "The event was unusual" would be そのイベントは珍しかった (そのイベントはめずらしかった).

•い-adjective: Conjugates by changing the い ending