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Short answer

“beautiful” in Japanese is 美しい

How to say beautiful in Japanese?

How to say beautiful in Japanese: the standard word is 美しい (うつくしい, utsukushii). In everyday conversation, though, native speakers reach for きれい (kirei) much more often, since it is the natural casual word for 'pretty' or 'beautiful' and can also mean 'clean.' 美しい carries a deeper, more literary feeling and is at home in writing, formal speech, and descriptions of scenery or art. For most spoken compliments, きれい is the safer, more natural choice.

adjectiveきれい / 綺麗 Updated October 16, 2026

Common pairings

美しい景色 (うつくしいけしき) — beautiful scenery美しい声 (うつくしいこえ) — beautiful voiceきれいな空気 (きれいなくうき) — clean, fresh airきれいになる — to become pretty

How to use it

  • Use きれい (kirei) for everyday compliments: a friend's outfit, a room, a view, or a person's face. It is the most natural spoken word and also means 'clean.'
  • Use 美しい (utsukushii) for deeper, poetic beauty—a sunset, a song, someone's heart—and for written or formal Japanese. It never means 'clean.'
  • きれい is often written in kana, but the kanji form 綺麗 is common too. 美しい is almost always written in kanji.

Examples

富士山は本当に美しいです。
Mt. Fuji is truly beautiful.
読: ふじさんはほんとうにうつくしいです (Fujisan wa hontō ni utsukushii desu). 美しい is an い-adjective; the です ending keeps it polite and neutral.
きれいな花ですね。
That's a pretty flower, isn't it?
読: きれいなはなですね (Kirei na hana desu ne). きれい is a な-adjective, so it needs な before a noun: きれいな花.
そのドレス、すごくきれい！
That dress is so pretty!
読: そのどれす、すごくきれい (Sono doresu, sugoku kirei). Casual speech drops です; the tone and すごく add enthusiasm.
彼女は美しい声をしています。
She has a beautiful voice.
読: かのじょはうつくしいこえをしています (Kanojo wa utsukushii koe o shite imasu). 美しい声 is a natural set phrase for a beautiful voice.

Common mistakes

WrongCorrectWhy
きれい猫が好きです。 きれいな猫が好きです。 きれい is a な-adjective and requires な before a noun: きれいな猫. Dropping it is a grammar error.
この花は美しいじゃない。 この花は美しくない。 美しい is an い-adjective, so its negative is 美しくない. The pattern 〜じゃない only works with な-adjectives like きれい (きれいじゃない).
UnnaturalNaturalWhy
わあ、美しい！ わあ、きれい！ In casual conversation, 美しい sounds literary and a little stiff, like a line from a novel. きれい is the natural exclamation when you see something beautiful in daily life.

FAQ

  1. How to say beautiful in Japanese
    The standard word is 美しい (うつくしい, utsukushii). In everyday conversation, native speakers usually say きれい (kirei) instead, which also means 'clean' or 'pretty.'
  2. What is the difference between 美しい and きれい?
    きれい is the casual, everyday word for pretty, beautiful, or clean. 美しい is more literary and emotional, used for deep beauty like scenery, art, or music, especially in writing and formal speech.
  3. Is 美しい a い-adjective?
    Yes. 美しい follows い-adjective rules: negative 美しくない, past 美しかった. きれい is a な-adjective: negative きれいじゃない, past きれいだった.
  4. Can I say あなたは美しい to a person?
    You can, but it sounds intense and poetic, like a line from a novel. For normal compliments in conversation, use きれい or かわいい instead.