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How to say 'Second' or 'Unique' in Japanese | 乙

Wondering how to say 'Second' or 'Unique' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Second or Unique is 'Otsu', written as 乙 in Japanese.'Second' or 'Unique' in hiragana is おつ.

    word

    乙

    Meaning

    Second, Unique

    Reading

    おつ

    otsu

    Kanji

    乙Second, Latter

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '乙 (おつ)' has two distinct meanings. The first meaning is 'second', as in the second of ten heavenly stems used in the traditional Japanese calendar system. For example: today is the second day of the cycle「今日は乙の日です」(きょうはおつのひです). The second meaning is 'unique' or 'unconventional', often used to describe something quirky or distinctive. For example: that artist has a unique style「あのアーティストは乙なスタイルだ」(あのアーティストはおつなスタイルだ). This second usage is more colloquial and can sometimes carry a slightly humorous or ironic tone.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    8

    Frequency

    6943

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 乙

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    乙

    Meaning

    Second, Latter

Learn the Word 乙

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What does 'Otsu' (乙) mean?

'Otsu' means 'Second' or 'Unique' .

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