Hi, everyone! I’m Masa, and I teach REAL Japanese on this blog and social media!
A lot of people already know “pretty” in Japanese is “可愛(かわ)い kawaii.”
But, do you know any other ways to say “pretty” in Japanese?
I will show you seven popular ways to say “pretty” in Japanese with example sentences!
いくよ！
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7 ways to say “Pretty” in Japanese?
可愛(かわい)い Kawaii
This is the most popular way to say “pretty” in Japanese.
You can say it to any cute thing, appearance, clothes, behavior, etc.
Girls often say “可愛(かわい)い” for cute boys.
A famous female YouTuber said that “可愛(かわい)い” is the best compliment for boys. If you are a male and called “可愛(かわい)い” by girls, you should be happy and proud of it. (笑)
Example sentences
A：〇〇ちゃん、本当(ほんとう)に可愛(かわい)いよね？
B：分(わ)かる!A：〇〇 is so pretty, isn’t she?
B：I know!
A: このネックレス可愛(かわい)いね。
B：可愛(かわい)いけど高(たか)いね。A：This necklace is cute.
B：It is, but it’s expensive.
綺麗(きれい) Kirei
綺麗(きれい) means “clean,” “pretty”
綺麗(きれい) is a more elegant and refined word than 可愛(かわい)い.
可愛(かわい)い is mainly used for young girls, but 綺麗(きれい) can be used no matter how old the person is.
That’s why some females prefer 綺麗(きれい) to 可愛(かわい)い.
Example sentences
A: 綺麗(きれい)ですね。
B:ありがとうございます。A: You’re pretty.
B: Thank you.
A: 綺麗(きれい)な人(ひと)と結婚(けっこん)したい。
B: 顔(かお)より性格(せいかく)が重要(じゅうよう)だよ。A: I want to marry a pretty girl.
B: You know, personality is more important than face.
美(うつく)しい Utsukushii
美(うつく)しい means “beautiful.”
Japanese people do not really say “あなたは美(うつく)しいですね”(You’re beautiful) because it sounds exaggerated and like you are joking.
Ladies over the 40s often say it when they give compliments on one’s appearance.
Example sentences
A: 〇〇さんの奥様(おくさま)は美(うつく)しいですね。
B: そうですね。A: 〇〇’s wife is beautiful, isn’t she?
B: Yes, she is.
A:美(うつく)しい景色(けしき)だね。
B: 君(きみ)の方(ほう)が美(うつく)しいよ。
A: 冗談(じょうだん)はやめて。A: What a beautiful scenery it is!!
B: You are more beautiful.
A: Stop making a joke.
美女(びじょ) Bijo 美少女(びしょうじょ) Bishoujo
美女(びじょ) means a beautiful lady, and 美少女(びしょうじょ) means pretty girl.
“Beauty and Beast” in Japanese is “美女(びじょ)と野獣(やじゅう).”
美少女(びしょうじょ) is often used for pretty anime girls.
Example sentences
A:彼(かれ)は 美女(びじょ)に囲(かこ)まれて、にやにやしていた。
A: He smiled because he was surrounded by beautiful ladies.
A: マンガの美少女(びしょうじょ)みたいに可愛(かわい)くなりたい。
A: I want to be cute, like a pretty character in Manga.
美人(びじん) Bijin
美(び) means “beautiful,” and 人(じん) means “person.”
Unlike 美少女(びしょうじょ), people often use it in a daily conversation.
Also, I mentioned 美(うつく)しい sounds exaggerated, but 美人(びじん) sounds pretty good compliment.
Example sentence
A：君(きみ)は美人(びじん)でうらやましいよ。
A：You’re pretty. I’m jealous.
A：美人(びじん)は３日(みっか)であきるっていうよね。
B：俺(おれ)はそうは思(おも)わないけどなA: It’s said that beauty fades in three days.
B: I don’t think that’s true.
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 “pretty.”
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.
Summary まとめ
I explained six ways to say “pretty” in Japanese.
- 可愛い kawaii
- 綺麗 kirei
- 美しい(うつくしい) utsukushii
- 美女 bijo
- 美少女 bishoujo
- 美人 bijin
- 容姿端麗(ようしたんれい) youshi tanrei
Say these words when you see a beautiful person in Japan!!
じゃあね！！
Do you want to know how to say “handsome” in Japanese??
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