Etymology

From classical -na adjective 珍 ‎(mezura) + adjectivizing suffix しい ‎(shii).

Ultimately from Old Japanese verb 愛づ ‎(medu, medzu), modern Japanese 愛でる ‎(mederu, “to love; to admire, to appreciate”).^[1][2]

The meaning originally referred to something that was admirable or favorable, something that had value, as an extension of the underlying verb. This meaning is used in the Man'yōshū, dating to the mid-700s. This further extended to indicate something that was rare or unusual in ways that one would find notable or attractive, and this meaning was also already used in the Man'yōshū. Over time, the admirable sense weakened, and the rare sense became dominant.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) めずらし​い [mèzúráshíꜜì] (Nakadaka - [4])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [me̞zɯᵝɾ̠a̠ɕiː]