Japanese Symbol for
美しいutsukushii
beautiful · lovely · gorgeous
Readings
Meaning
Beautiful, lovely. 美しい (utsukushii) describes deep, genuine beauty. きれい (kirei) is the more casual/everyday word for "pretty" or "clean." 素敵 (suteki) means lovely, wonderful, or cool.
Example words
奇麗
kirei
pretty, beautiful, clean
素敵
suteki
lovely, wonderful, fantastic
艶やか
tsuyayaka
glossy, beautiful, bewitching
麗しい
uruwashii
beautiful, lovely (literary)
見事
migoto
splendid, magnificent, beautiful
秀麗
shūrei
graceful, beautiful, elegant
Japanese has a rich vocabulary for beauty at different levels. 美しい (utsukushii) is deep, genuine beauty. きれい (kirei) is everyday pretty or visually clean. かわいい (kawaii) is cute/adorable — a word so culturally significant it's entered global vocabulary. 粋 (iki) is a uniquely Japanese aesthetic of sophisticated, understated cool.
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