Onyomi: ビ, ミ · Kunyomi: うつく.しい · Meanings: beautiful, beauty
Kanji for beautiful, beauty
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美 is made from 羊, meaning “sheep,” on top, and 大, meaning “big” or “great,” on the bottom. In ancient China, a large, healthy sheep was considered beautiful and valuable. This image of something pleasing, graceful, and worthy of admiration developed into the meaning of beauty. From this idea, 美 came to mean beautiful, beauty, or something aesthetically pleasing.
美 shows a big, healthy sheep, symbolizing beauty and grace.
Picture a large, perfect sheep admired for its elegance. That sense of beauty is 美.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 美 | び | beauty | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Noun, used as a suffix |
| 御 | み | august | Prefix |
| 美術館 | びじゅつかん | art museum, art gallery | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 美味しい | おいしい | good(-tasting), nice, delicious, tasty | common JLPT-N1 JLPT-N5 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 美しい | うつくしい | beautiful, pretty, lovely, sweet, pure (heart, friendship, etc.) | common JLPT-N4 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 美人 | びじん | beautiful woman, (a) beauty | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 見事 | みごと | splendid, magnificent, excellent, fine, superb, beautiful, admirable | common JLPT-N3 Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Adverb (fukushi) |
| 上手い | うまい | skillful, skilful, skilled, good, expert, clever (expression, trick, etc.), apt, appropriate | common JLPT-N3 JLPT-N1 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 美容 | びよう | beauty, good figure, (beautiful) appearance, (beautiful) features | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 美術 | びじゅつ | art, fine arts | common JLPT-N1 Noun |