Differences Between 興味深い & 面白い?


面白い has the meaning of fun or interesting, whereas 興味深い appears to represent a
similar state of "interesting".

What are the differences between these two adjectives, and when should 興味深い be
employed?




The differences are two-fold.

**_Scope of meanings:_**

「おもしろい」 (I do not use kanji to write this word.) has two different meanings. "
**Funny** " and " **interesting** ". Which one the word is being used for
depends totally on the context/situation.

「興味深{きょうみぶか}い」 only means "interesting", "arousing one's curiosity", etc. **It
can never mean "funny"**.

**_Formality:_**

「おもしろい」 sounds much **less** formal and stiff than 「興味深い」.

「興味深い」 is not really an everyday kind of word for many native speakers. If you
want to use it, you might do so in at least a little bit formal settings. It
sounds heavier than "interesting". It is kind of closer to " ** _intriguing_**
" in feeling.




The differences are two-fold.

**_Scope of meanings:_**

「おもしろい」 (I do not use kanji to write this word.) has two different meanings. "
**Funny** " and " **interesting** ". Which one the word is being used for
depends totally on the context/situation.

「興味深{きょうみぶか}い」 only means "interesting", "arousing one's curiosity", etc. **It
can never mean "funny"**.

**_Formality:_**

「おもしろい」 sounds much **less** formal and stiff than 「興味深い」.

「興味深い」 is not really an everyday kind of word for many native speakers. If you
want to use it, you might do so in at least a little bit formal settings. It
sounds heavier than "interesting". It is kind of closer to " ** _intriguing_**
" in feeling.

