The kanji 醜 generally conveys the meaning of ugliness, unsightly appearance, or something repulsive. It can describe physical unattractiveness, moral ugliness (wickedness), or something that is generally considered unpleasant or undesirable. It implies a lack of beauty, either visually or in character.

・On-yomi (音読み): シュウ (shū) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): みにくい (miniku-i) – ugly, unsightly

⚫︎ 醜悪 (shūaku) Translation: hideous; atrocious; ugly; foul ⚫︎ 醜聞 (shūbun) Translation: scandal; disgrace; infamy ⚫︎ 醜い顔 (minikui kao) Translation: an ugly face

The kanji 醜 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phonetic-semantic compound character. The left side is a radical, 酉, which originally meant "wine jar". The right side is 鬼 (oni), meaning "ogre, demon". The original meaning was related to the ugliness or the distorted appearance associated with evil spirits or monsters. Over time, the meaning generalized to describe anything considered ugly or unsightly. The association with the "wine jar" is likely a phonetic element, as the sound of the character was prioritized over the semantic connection.