unknown

Compared meaning: not known or not familiar (adjective).

比较义项：陌生的；不了解的（形容词）。

• strange

  Describes an odd, uneasy feeling about something, even a place or person once familiar; more emotional and stronger than simply lacking information, common in the phrase 'feel strange'.

  形容一种奇怪、不安的感觉，即便是曾经熟悉的地方或人也可能用它；比单纯的“不了解”语气更强、更带情绪色彩，常用于“feel strange”这一说法。

  Her own bedroom felt strange after being away at college for a year.

  在大学待了一年后，她自己的卧室都让她觉得陌生了。

• unfamiliar

  Neutral and factual: something has not been experienced, seen, or learned before; commonly used for places, tasks, or things new to a person, without extra emotional weight.

  语气中性客观：表示某事物之前没有经历、见过或学过；常用于对人来说陌生的地方、任务或事物，不带强烈情绪色彩。

  The interns found the unfamiliar software confusing during their first week.

  实习生在第一周对这个陌生的软件感到困惑。

• unknown 本词

  Focuses on missing facts or identity rather than feelings; used for causes, origins, authors, or identities that have not been discovered or revealed.

  重点在于事实或身份的缺失，而非感受；常用于尚未被发现或揭示的原因、起源、作者或身份。

  The cause of the engine failure remains unknown to investigators.

  调查人员至今仍不清楚发动机故障的原因。

Strange, unfamiliar and unknown all mean not known, but differ in feeling. Strange describes an uneasy feeling, even about a familiar place. Unfamiliar is neutral: not experienced before, like a place or task. Unknown focuses on missing facts or identity. Strange meaning odd isn't compared.

这三个词都可表示“不熟悉、不了解”，但语气和用法不同：strange更强调一种奇怪、不安的主观感受，即使对象本来熟悉也会用它；unfamiliar是中性客观的描述，只表示没有接触过；unknown则侧重事实或身份尚未被知晓，而非感受。这里不比较strange表示“奇怪、不寻常”的更常见义项（如a strange noise中的“奇怪的”）。