美しい

• 読み: うつくしい
• ローマ字: utsukushii
• 漢字の分解: 美 (beauty) + しい (adjective suffix) → beautiful/magnificent
• 発音: /ɯ.tsɯ.kɯ.ɕiː/

意味

Beautiful, stunning, or magnificent — a more emphatic and elevated form of praise for beauty.

While not slang in the traditional sense, 美しい is used in casual conversation as a deliberate upgrade from 綺麗 (pretty) or 可愛い (cute) when something truly takes your breath away. In informal contexts, using the literary-sounding 美しい creates a dramatic, almost cinematic effect — it signals that normal words of praise are insufficient. Common for nature, art, performances, and moments of exceptional beauty.

例文

1. この庭園美しすぎて時間忘れちゃった。
2. 演技が美しいって表現がぴったりだった。
3. 夜の東京タワー、美しいからデートで行ってみて。

使い方ガイド

場面: nature, art, performances, moments of awe

トーン: reverent, elevated, dramatic

正しい言い方

• この夕日美しいね、写真じゃ伝わらない (This sunset is stunning — photos can't capture it)
• 美しいフォームだ、見とれちゃう (Such beautiful form — I can't stop watching)

避ける言い方

• 日常的な物に「美しい」は大げさ (Calling everyday things 'utsukushii' sounds overly dramatic — use 綺麗 or 可愛い)

よくある間違い

• Using 美しい for casual cuteness — it implies a grander, more elevated beauty than 可愛い or 綺麗
• Not knowing the hierarchy: 可愛い (cute) < 綺麗 (pretty) < 美しい (beautiful/magnificent)

起源と歴史

Classical Japanese adjective from ancient times. 美 (beauty) + しい (adjective suffix). One of the oldest and most revered aesthetic terms in the Japanese language.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient Japanese, continuously used across all eras

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. In casual speech, deliberately choosing 美しい over simpler alternatives creates emphasis. Core to Japanese aesthetic concepts (美意識, beauty consciousness). The casual use in reactions like 美しい！ adds dramatic flair.