不気味の谷

Japanese

Kanji in this term
不	気	味	谷
ぶ Grade: 4	き Grade: 1	み Grade: 3	たに Grade: 2

Alternative spelling
不氣味の谷 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From 不気味(ぶきみ) (bukimi, “eerie, uncanny”) + の (no, noun modifier particle) + 谷(たに) (tani, “valley”).

Coined by Masahiro Mori in 1970, to describe a dip in the likeability of a humanoid robot in relation to its resemblance to the human face to the point where it becomes "uncanny", before picking up again as the human resemblance nears perfection, thus forming a "valley".

Noun

不(ぶ)気(き)味(み)の谷(たに) • (bukimi no tani) 

1. uncanny valley