Strange in a way you cannot quite explain, and a little unsettling because of it. Uncanny is not the same as scary. A tiger is scary; a doll whose eyes seem to follow you is uncanny. The feeling is quieter — something is wrong, or too right, and you cannot say why.

Strange in a way you cannot quite explain一種說不清楚的奇怪, and a little unsettling because of it也因此讓人有點不安。Uncanny is not the same as scaryuncanny跟scary（可怕）不一樣。A tiger is scary老虎是scary的; a doll whose eyes seem to follow you一個眼睛好像會跟著你動的娃娃 is uncanny是uncanny的。The feeling is quieter那種感覺比較安靜 — something is wrong, or too right某個地方不對勁，或是對得太過頭, and you cannot say why而你說不出為什麼。

There are two everyday uses, and students meet both.

There are two everyday uses日常裡有兩種常見用法, and students meet both學生兩種都會遇到。

First, for a resemblance or an accuracy that is too close to be chance: an uncanny likeness, an uncanny resemblance to her grandmother, an uncanny ability to know what you are thinking. This is the commonest use by far, and it is not negative at all — it is close to admiring.

First, for a resemblance or an accuracy that is too close to be chance第一種，用在相似或準確到不像是巧合的情況: an uncanny likenessuncanny likeness驚人的相似, an uncanny resemblance to her grandmotheran uncanny resemblance to her grandmother像她祖母像到不可思議, an uncanny ability to know what you are thinkingan uncanny ability to know what you are thinking準得嚇人、能猜到你在想什麼的能力。This is the commonest use by far這是目前為止最常見的用法, and it is not negative at all而且一點都不負面 — it is close to admiring反而接近讚嘆。

Second, for an atmosphere: an uncanny silence, an uncanny feeling that someone was in the room. Here it is closer to eerie, and it does carry a shadow.

Second, for an atmosphere第二種，用在氣氛上: an uncanny silenceuncanny silence詭異的寂靜, an uncanny feeling that someone was in the rooman uncanny feeling that someone was in the room一種好像有人在房間裡的詭異感覺。Here it is closer to eerie這裡比較接近eerie（陰森）, and it does carry a shadow而且確實帶著一層陰影。

There is also a technical life to this word that your students may meet online: Freud wrote about das Unheimliche, translated into English as "the uncanny" — the disturbing feeling when something familiar becomes strange. From that comes the phrase the uncanny valley, used about robots and CG faces that look almost human and therefore feel wrong. If a student has met the word through games or animation, that is probably the sense they carry.

There is also a technical life to this word that your students may meet online這個字還有一段學生可能在網路上遇到的專業歷史: Freud wrote about das Unheimliche佛洛伊德寫過das Unheimliche, translated into English as "the uncanny"英文譯作「the uncanny」 — the disturbing feeling when something familiar becomes strange指熟悉的東西變得陌生時，那種讓人不安的感覺。From that comes the phrase the uncanny valley由此而來的還有「the uncanny valley」（恐怖谷）這個說法, used about robots and CG faces that look almost human and therefore feel wrong用來形容那種長得幾乎像人、卻讓人覺得不對勁的機器人或CG臉孔。If a student has met the word through games or animation如果一個學生是透過遊戲或動畫接觸到這個字, that is probably the sense they carry那他心裡想的大概就是這個意思。