Hi, guys!! I’m Masa and a Japanese native speaker.
When you find a handsome guy, you might want to compliment his looks.
In Japan, we have so many ways to say “handsome.”
On this page, you will learn nine popular ways to say “handsome.”
いくよ〜！
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9 ways to say “Handsome” in Japanese?
かっこいい kakkoii
かっこいい is the most popular way to compliment guys’ looks.
You can also say this phrase to compliment their outfits.
Every man in Japan wants to hear this word desperately. (Maybe.)
Example sentences
A： 彼(かれ)は本当(ほんとう)にかっこいいよね。
B： 分(わ)かる。A： He is really handsome, isn’t he?
B： I know.
A： その服(ふく)かっこいいね！
B： ありがとう！A： I like your clothes!
B： Thanks!
イケメン ikemen
イケメン means “handsome.”
Young girls(10~20’s) often say this word.
イケ is an abbreviation of イケてる (cool)
メン is 面(めん)(face)
So, it means “cool face” = “handsome.”
Basically, you can only use it for guys’ looks.
But, people sometimes use this to complement one’s behavior.
For example,
寿司(すし)奢(おご)ってくれるとかイケメンすぎる。
He is so cool as he treats me to sushi.
見(み)た目(め)がいい mitame ga ii
見(み)た目(め) = looks
いい = good
This phrase can be used for both men and women.
People do not really say it directly to the good-looking person.
For example, you do not want to say,
“あなた、見(み)た目(め)がいいね。” Your appearance is good.
We often say this when the good-looking person is not with us.
A： 彼(かれ)は見(み)た目(め)がいいよね。
B： そうですよね。A： He is handsome, isn’t he?
B： So true.
整(ととの)った顔(かお) totonotta kao
整(とと)った = well-balanced, well-organized
顔(かお) = face
This phrase is not frequently used compared with かっこいい and イケメン.
Example sentence
A： あのアーティストは整(ととの)った顔(かお)をしてますね。
A： That artist has a well-balanced face. (He is handsome.)
ハンサム hansamu
It is an English!! Handsome!
In my opinion, young girls(10~20’s) prefer saying “イケメン” to “ハンサム.”
And ladies of forty and above often use ハンサム.
Example sentence
A： 彼(かれ)はハンサムだからすぐ結婚(けっこん)出来(でき)るわよ。
B： 結婚(けっこん)は顔(かお)が全(すべ)てじゃないですよ。A： He can marry soon as he is handsome.
B： Good-looking is not everything when it comes to marriage.
容姿端麗 (ようしたんれい) Youshi tanrei
容姿(ようし) = appearance
端麗(たんれい) = good-looking
This is a very formal way to say “handsome.”
You can use it for both men and women.
Example sentence
A： 私の上司は容姿端麗です。
A： My supervisor is good-looking.
美男子(びなんし) binannshi
美(び) = beautiful
男子(だんし) = boys
It means “handsome boy.” You can say it to boys around 10~20s.
The correct pronunciation is “びなんし binannshi.”
But, people often pronounce “びだんし bidannshi”
男前(おとこまえ) otoko mae
男(おとこ) = man
前(まえ) = front
Ninety-nine percent of Japanese people do not know why 男前(おとこまえ) means “handsome.”
This word originated from Kabuki culture… (you do not need to know the origin of this word.)
Young people do not say this in a daily conversation.
In my opinion, ladies 60s and above often say this word.
二枚目(にまいめ) nimaime
二枚目(the second one) means “handsome.”
You can check the reason why 二枚目 means handsome.
Japanese expressions “nimaime” (二枚目) and “sanmaime” (三枚目): the good, and the funny
This word is also the one that ladies 60s and above often say.
Summary まとめ
- かっこいい
- イケメン
- 見(み)た目(め)がいい
- 整(ととの)った顔(かお)
- ハンサム
- 容姿端麗(ようしたんれい)
- 美男子(びなんし)
- 男前(おとこまえ)
- 二枚目(にまいめ)
There are a lot of ways to say “handsome.” Try to say these words when you see a handsome guy in Japan! じゃあね！！
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More NATIVE Japanese phrases are here!!
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