巧妙な（こうみょうな、koumyoうna）
- clever

The Japanese word 巧妙な (こうみょうな) describes something that is cleverly or skillfully done. It suggests a high level of skill, ingenuity, and often, a certain degree of finesse. It implies a sense of cleverness, usually applied to actions, plans, or creations, often highlighting a hidden complexity or sophisticated design. The term implies that something has been executed with skill, precision, and intelligence. It can also imply a degree of deception or trickery if used to describe a negative action.

⚫︎巧妙な手口で金を奪った。 Translation: They stole the money with a cunning trick. ⚫︎その絵は、筆致が《巧妙だ。》 Translation: The brushwork in that painting is exquisite. ⚫︎彼は《巧妙な策略で敵を欺いた。》 Translation: He deceived the enemy with a clever strategy.

You can use 巧妙な to describe a variety of things, including: ⚫︎ Clever plans or strategies. ⚫︎ Art and craftsmanship. ⚫︎ Performances. ⚫︎ Actions that display a high level of skill or intelligence. ⚫︎ In some cases, to describe a deceptive or trickery plan or action, in which case it carries a negative connotation. The word is more frequently used in written Japanese than in everyday spoken conversation.

巧妙な is written in kanji as 巧妙な and read as こうみょうな. The hiragana ending "な" indicates that it is a な-adjective (also known as a nominal adjective or adjectival noun). There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana (送りがな, the hiragana following the kanji) is always "な".

⚫︎ 巧み (たくみ): Skillful, expert. ⚫︎ 見事 (みごと): Wonderful, splendid, skillful. ⚫︎ 上手な (じょうずな): Skilled, good at. ⚫︎ 洗練された (せんれんされた): Sophisticated, refined. ⚫︎ 器用な (きような): Dexterous, skillful. ⚫︎ 巧妙さ (こうみょうさ): Cleverness (noun form).

⚫︎ 下手な (へたな): Unskillful, poor at. ⚫︎ 不器用な (ぶきような): Clumsy, awkward. ⚫︎ 拙い (つたない): Unskilled, clumsy, poor. ⚫︎ 稚拙な (ちせつな): Crude, amateurish.

彼は《巧妙な手品で観客を魅了した。》 ・Translation: He captivated the audience with a clever magic trick. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the magician's magic trick as clever, highlighting its skill and ingenuity.

その小説は、人物描写が《巧妙で引き込まれる。》 ・Translation: That novel is captivating because of its skillful character portrayals. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 巧妙 to describe the skillful character portrayals in the novel, indicating they are well-done and engaging.

The word 巧妙 is derived from the combination of two kanji: 巧 (こう) meaning "skill" or "dexterity," and 妙 (みょう) meaning "wonderful," "exquisite," or "clever." Therefore, 巧妙 itself literally translates to something like "skillful wonder" or "cleverly exquisite."