Japanese word

見苦しい

Pronunciation

Romajimigurushii

Meaning

  • i-adjectiveunsightly

Example

その服装は見苦しいです。so no fuku sō wa mi guru shi i de su

That outfit is unsightly.

Illustration for 見苦しい (unsightly)

More examples

人前で責任を押しつけ合うのは見苦しいです。hito mae de seki nin o o shi tsu ke a u no wa mi guru shi i de su

It is disgraceful to shift blame in public.

Core concept

Describes an appearance or behavior that is unpleasant to see and reflects badly on the person or situation.

Common phrases

  • 見苦しい姿mi guru shi i sugata

    unsightly appearance

  • 見苦しい言い訳mi guru shi i i i wake

    disgraceful excuse

  • 見苦しい争いmi guru shi i araso i

    ugly quarrel

Similar words

みっともないmittomonai: Describes an appearance or behavior that looks embarrassing and lacks dignity.
醜いminikui: Describes an appearance that lacks beauty and is unpleasant to look at.

Definition in Japanese

外見や振る舞いが悪く、見ている人に不快感や恥ずかしさを抱かせるさま。gai ken ya fu ru ma i ga waru ku mi te i ru hito ni fu kai kan ya ha zu ka shi sa o ida ka se ru sa ma

Word origin

The native Japanese compound adjective 見苦しい (migurushii, "hard to look at") combines 見る (miru, "to see") and 苦しい (kurushii, "painful").

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 見苦しい (migurushii) can describe rude or embarrassing behavior as well as an unattractive appearance, so disgraceful can fit better than unsightly in some contexts.

Other meanings

  • disgracefuli-adjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 見苦しさmigurushisaunsightlinessnoun

Word lists with this word