Word
見苦しい
Meaning in Englishunsightly, ugly
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
What does 見苦しい mean? It means unattractive to look at or to observe, a quality or behavior that makes a scene or person unpleasant to the eye; used to express strong disapproval of appearance or conduct.
Main meanings
- Visually unattractive; not pleasing to the eye.
- Discreditable or improper behavior; something that causes embarrassment or a poor impression.
- Strong negative judgment about taste or propriety; emphasizes discomfort or revulsion.
How to use it
Used in casual and formal contexts to condemn appearance or conduct; can describe people, objects, or situations; in conversation it often carries a judgmental tone; in writing it's common in critiques or opinion pieces.
Variants and close terms
- 醜い (minikui) — ugly
- みっともない (mottomonai) — unbecoming
- 不細工 (busaiku) — unattractive
- 上品だ (jōhin da) — refined, tasteful (antonym)
Composition
- 見 — see, look
- 苦しい — painful, difficult; conveys discomfort when seen
Word class
adjective (い-adjective)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N3
苦
ku
suffering, hardship, trouble
N3
苦手
nigate
poor (at), weak (in), dislike (of)
N3
発見
hakken
discovery, detection, finding
N3
見掛ける
mikakeru
to (happen to see), to notice, to catch sight of
N4
見える
mieru
be visible, seem, be able to see
N4
見つける
mitsukeru
find, discover
N4
お見舞い
omimai
visit to a sick person, get well gift
N4
見つかる
mitsukaru
be found, be discovered
N4
拝見
haiken
humble seeing, respectful looking
Kanji