The word 奇怪 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create the concept of "strange" or "odd". The first character, 奇 (qí), originally depicted a person standing next to a horse and carries the core idea of "unusual", "remarkable", or "unexpected". The second character, 怪 (guài), is rooted in meanings related to the mind or heart (心) and conveys a sense of something being "peculiar", "bewildering", or even "supernatural". When placed together, they reinforce and amplify each other, painting a picture of something so unusual that it provokes a sense of wonder or bafflement in the observer.