Japanese word

醜い

Pronunciation

Romajiminikui

Meaning

  • i-adjectiveugly

Example

このデザインは醜いです。ko no de za i n wa miniki i de su

This design is ugly.

Illustration for 醜い (ugly)

More examples

その物語は人間の醜い部分を描いています。so no monogatari wa nin gen no miniku i bu bun o ega i te i ma su

The story depicts the ugly side of human nature.

Core concept

Refers to something whose visible form falls far short of a usual standard of beauty or pleasing design.

Common phrases

  • 醜い顔miniku i kao

    ugly face

  • 醜い姿miniku i sugata

    ugly appearance

  • 醜い争いminiku i araso i

    ugly quarrel

Similar words

見苦しいmigurushii: Unpleasant or embarrassing to look at because of an appearance or display.
みっともないmittomonai: Causing shame or loss of dignity through an appearance, action, or manner.
野暮ったいyabottai: Lacking style and appearing old-fashioned, clumsy, or poorly designed.

Definition in Japanese

美しさや整いを欠き、外見がよくないさま。utsuku shi sa ya totono i o ka ki gai ken ga yo ku na i sa ma

Word origin

The native adjective 醜い (minikui) is the modern form of the classical adjective 醜し (minikushi), meaning "ugly"; the kanji in the modern spelling carries the same basic sense.

Usage tips

  • The homophone 見にくい (minikui) means "hard to see", so context and kanji distinguish it from 醜い (minikui), which means "ugly".

Opposites

Related words

  • 醜さminikusauglinessnoun

Word lists with this word