Sakki rōka-de ayashii otoko-ga urouro-shite-ita-n-da.

Just now, a suspicious-looking man was hanging about in the corridor.

Situation 1: At the office, Mr. Mita talks to his colleague Ms. Gray.

三田： さっき廊下で大きなマスクをしたあやしい男がうろうろしていたんだ。大丈夫かな。

グレイ： それはコピー機の会社の人よ。ほら、今、あそこで修理をしているでしょう？

Mita: Sakki rōka-de ōkina masuku-o shita ayashii otoko-ga urouro-shite-ita-n-da. Daijōbu-kana.

Gurei: Sore-wa kopii-ki-no kaisha-no hito-yo. Ima, asoko-de shūri-o shite-iru-deshō?

Mita: Just now, there was a suspicious man wearing a large mask hanging about in the corridor. That's OK, right?

Gray: That was the guy from the copier company. He's fixing the copy machine over there now, you see?

Today we will introduce some uses of the adjective あやしい, which means "dubious" or "strange" and is used to communicate a suspicious, anxious or frightened feeling toward something unidentified. あやしい can also be used to express the mysterious, undefinable quality of someone or something, as in あやしい魅力 (みりょく)のある女優(じょゆう) (an actress with mysterious charm).

Situation 2: Mrs. Shiba asks her husband about a shopping website she is looking at.

妻： このサイト、どう思う？値段が安すぎるのが気になるの。

夫： うーん、日本語も変だし、あやしいなあ。ここはやめたほうがいいんじゃない？

Tsuma: Kono saito, dō omou? Nedan-ga yasusugiru-no-ga ki-ni naru-no.

Otto: Ūn, Nihongo-mo hen-da-shi, ayashii-nā. Koko-wa yameta hō-ga ii-n-ja-nai?

Wife: What do you think about this website? I'm worried that the prices are too cheap.

Husband: Hmm. The Japanese is strange, too, so it looks dodgy. Better to give that one a miss, don't you think?

あやしい also means "dubious" or "unreliable," and shows that the speaker has a doubtful feeling toward something. Example: あの鈴木(すずき)さんが時間(じかん)どおりに来(く)るかどうかあやしい (I wonder if Mr. Suzuki [who is usually late] will show up as we arranged). In addition, あやしい can be used to refer to the weather, as in 雲行(くもゆき) があやしいね (The sky looks threatening). Finally, あやしい can insinuate a romantic relationship between other people: あの二人(ふたり)は最近(さいきん)あやしい (Recently, it looks like there's something going on between those two).

Bonus Dialogue: Ms. Tamachi asks her colleague Ms. Gray about the results on a spreadsheet.

田町： この計算(けいさん)、あやしいなあ。合計(ごうけい)が こんな数字(すうじ)になるわけないと思(おも)う。

グレイ： そう？　表計算(ひょうけいさん)の数式(すうしき)は間違(まちが)っていないと思うけど。

田町： うーん、私(わたし)の直観(ちょっかん)もかなりあやしいけど、やっぱり変(へん)だと思う。

グレイ： じゃ、確認(かくにん)してみましょう。...あ、入力 (にゅうりょく)ミスをしていた...。さすが田町さん。

田町： いえいえ。...ところで、最近(さいきん)総務課(そうむか)の山田(やまだ)さんと大島(おおしま)さん、何(なん)かあやしくない？

グレイ： 私もそう思う。よくいっしょに帰(かえ)るところを 見(み)るのよ。

田町： この前(まえ)、雨(あめ)の日(ひ)に一(ひと)つの傘(かさ)に入(はい)っているのを見ちゃったんだ。

グレイ： そうなの！　[外を見て]あ、雲行(くもゆ)きがあやしい なあ。天気予報(てんきよほう)で今晩(こんばん)は雨になるって言っていた。

田町： あーあ、私を傘に入(い)れてくれる人(ひと)はいないけど...。

グレイ： そんなこと言(い)っていないで、早(はや)く終(お)わらせて帰りましょう。

Tamachi: This calculation seems strange. I don't think it's possible for the total to be that amount.

Gray: Really? I don't think the formula used is wrong.

Tamachi: Well, my intuition may not be reliable, but I still think it's wrong.

Gray: Well then, let's check it again. ... Ah, there was an input error. Just like you to catch that, Ms. Tamachi!

Tamachi: No, no. Anyway, don't you think something's going on with Mr. Yamada and Ms. Oshima in General Affairs?

Gray: I was thinking the same thing! I often see them going home together.

Tamachi: I saw them walking under the same umbrella the other day.

Gray: Really? [Looks outside] Oh, the sky looks threatening. The forecast said it'd rain a lot this evening.

Tamachi: Oh, there's no one here to lend me their umbrella ...

Gray: Don't waste time talking about that — let's finish this work quick and go home!