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I am still a beginner at japanese and I have the strong feeling my title is
incorrectly translated so here it is again in english:

_What is the "feeling" a japanese person gets upon hearing the word 面白い._

To clarify: omoshiroi was one of the first japanese words I learned, and back
then I was told it means "funny". Later "interesting" appended the list, and I
never really understood the core of that word.

Lets say I want to express: "I think japanese is a very interesting language."

And I translate it to: 日本語が面白いと思います。

To me, the english word "interesting" feels very "serious", but the
translations for 面白い don't suggest that very much. Jisho.org translates it to
"interesting/amusing".

So, in that example sentence, did I rather say "I think japanese is
interesting" ( in all seriousness ) or "I think japanese is a tad funny" ? If
its the latter, which word is used to express "interesting" in all seriousness
?
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question
word-choice words
日本人は「面白い」と聞いて何を感じますか？
What is the "feeling" a Japanese person gets upon hearing the word 面白い ->
日本人が「面白い」という言葉を聞いて得る"感覚"は何ですか？

I think Japanese is a very interesting language. -> 日本語 が/は
興{きょう}味{み}深{ぶか}い言語であると私は 思います/考えます。

FYI, Oxford English Dictionary says "interesting = arousing curiosity or
interest; holding or catching the attention."

*** added ***

面白い can mean "interesting", but my impression is that it primarily means
something is "funny."
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2015-07-12T15:46:14.130
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answer
When I hear:

> 「面白いマンガ」  
>  「面白い冗談・ジョーク」 「面白いことを言う」  
>  「面白い芸人」「面白い顔」「面白い服装」

I would normally think the 面白い is used as "funny", "comical", "makes you
laugh", or maybe "queer", etc.

When I hear:

> 「このゲーム/本/映画、面白かったよ。」  
>  「(テレビで)今日、何か面白い番組やってる？」  
>  「ディズニーランドとユニバーサルスタジオジャパンのどっちが面白い？」  
>  「俺と勝負しろ！」--「面白い。相手になってやろう。」  
>  「ドイツ語の勉強は面白いです。」「大学の勉強、面白い？」  
>  「だんだん仕事が面白くなってきた。」

I would normally think the 面白い is used as "interesting", "exciting", "fun",
"enjoyable", "rewarding / worthwhile", "you like it", etc.

So I would say:

> 日本語は面白いと思います。

to mean "I think the Japanese language is interesting." I wouldn't think you
meant "I think the Japanese language is funny" if I heard you say this.

If I heard you say:

> 日本文化は面白いと思います。

I would think you meant "Japanese culture is interesting/intriguing". But if I
heard you say:

> 日本人は面白いと思います。

I might think you probably meant "Japanese people are funny." (or maybe
"Japanese people are interesting/fun." depending on the context.)
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2015-07-13T09:34:46.633
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answer