醜い（みにくい、minikui）
- ugly

The Japanese word 醜い （みにくい） primarily means "ugly," "unattractive," or "hideous." It describes something that is unpleasant to look at, visually displeasing, or lacking in beauty. It can be applied to people, objects, animals, or even abstract concepts. The word suggests a strong degree of unattractiveness. It can also imply something morally wrong or wicked in some contexts.

⚫︎その絵は醜い Translation: That painting is ugly. ⚫︎彼の醜い顔 Translation: His ugly face. ⚫︎醜い争い Translation: An ugly fight.

⚫︎You can use 醜い in situations where you want to describe something as visually unappealing. ⚫︎It's generally a direct and strong word, so be mindful of the context and the potential impact on others, especially when referring to people. ⚫︎It can be used to describe the appearance of things, people, or the character of actions.

⚫︎The standard way to write 醜い is with the kanji 醜 and the hiragana suffix い: 醜い. ⚫︎The reading is みにくい in hiragana. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always い.

⚫︎不細工（ぶさいく）: This is another common word for "ugly" or "unattractive," but it can also refer to clumsiness. ⚫︎みにくまじい: This is a synonym, but the usage frequency is lower than 醜い. ⚫︎見苦しい（みぐるしい）: This primarily means unsightly or embarrassing, often used for actions or behavior. ⚫︎悪い（わるい）: can be used to describe bad appearance.

⚫︎美しい（うつくしい）: Beautiful, lovely. ⚫︎きれい（綺麗）（きれい）: Beautiful, pretty, clean (a more versatile word). ⚫︎可愛い（かわいい）: Cute, adorable.

彼は醜い傷跡を隠そうとした ・Translation: He tried to hide the ugly scar. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 醜い to describe a physical attribute (a scar) that is considered unattractive.

その醜い行動は非難された ・Translation: That ugly behavior was criticized. ・Explanation: Here, 醜い describes the character of an action, implying it was morally reprehensible or unpleasant.

The kanji 醜 originally depicted a type of meat or a person with a skin disease. Over time, it came to be associated with ugliness and repulsiveness. The word's origins are rooted in the visual and sensory perception of something undesirable.