Home › Japanese › Glossary › beautiful (thing)
Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "beautiful (thing)" in Japanese?
美しい
Utsukushii
In Japanese, "beautiful (thing)" is 美しい (Utsukushii).
Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
美しい is written using kanji. Romanised as Utsukushii, it sounds roughly like "oo-tsoo-koo-shee" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Utsukushii (美しい) describes refined or profound beauty more strongly than kirei na. It is slightly more literary and appears frequently in descriptions of art, nature, and traditional aesthetics.
Example sentence
あの景色はとても美しいです。
Ano keshiki wa totemo utsukushii desu.
That scenery is very beautiful.
Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 美しい
The kanji 美 is often described as beautiful in appearance itself. Notice how the strokes flow gracefully together.
Related words
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 美しい
How do you pronounce 美しい?
美しい is romanised as Utsukushii. Say it roughly like "oo-tsoo-koo-shee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is 美しい formal or casual?
美しい is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 美しい written in Japanese?
美しい is written using kanji. Utsukushii (美しい) describes refined or profound beauty more strongly than kirei na.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Beautiful (thing)" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town