Beautiful in Japanese: “kireina” or “utsukushii”, explained in detail

How to say “beautiful” in Japanese

In the Japanese language, we have the two major options: “kireina” and “utsukushii”. Both are used to say “beautiful” in Japanese, but not the same. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain them through example sentences. And also, I will explain how they are different. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kireina”
• Example #1: how to say “beautiful” in Japanese with “kireina”
• Example #2: how to use “kireina” as a complement
• Definition and meaning of “utsukushii”
• Example #3: how to say “beautiful” in Japanese with “utsukushii”
• Example #4: how to use “utsukushii” as a complement
• Summary: Kireina vs Utsukushii

Definition and meanings of “kireina”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meanings of “kireina”.

• kireina – 綺麗な (きれいな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’, ‘clean’, or ‘neat’ in Japanese.

Its meaning can vary depending on the situation and context. Japanese native speakers normally use it to describe something looking beautiful. Perhaps, one of its conjugations, “kirei”, would be much more famous and popular. Japanese native speakers quite often use this conjugation like an interjection to say “beautiful!” in Japanese.

Then, let me explain how to use this na-adjective through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “beautiful” in Japanese with “kireina”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyoto – 京都 (きょうと) : a name of one of the most famous Japanese cities. It is used as a noun in the example sentence.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the noun, “Kyoto”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• basho – 場所 (ばしょ) : a noun meaning ‘place’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘places’. Learn more about Japanese plural. In the example, it is described by the preceding adjective, “kireina”. The formed noun phrase, “kireina basho”, means ‘beautiful place’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun, adjective, or phrase to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “kireina”. In this example, it is put before the noun, “basho”, to describe it. In a way, this Japanese na-adjective can be used in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “beautiful”, is to describe its following noun.

When “kireina” is used at a position of complement, it needs to be conjugated as follows.

Example #2: how to use “kireina” as a complement

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “kireina”. In this example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of “kireina”, it has been conjugated though. In casual situations, we can omit the auxiliary verb, “desu”, which makes the adjective sound polite.

This less polite expression would help us a lot to see the similarity of the sentence structures. The conjugated na-adjective, “kirei”, is used at a position of complement like the English adjective, “beautiful”, is. So, also in this way, “kireina” is quite similar to “beautiful”.

As I mentioned above, “kirei” can also be used like an interjection, namely, used alone to say “beautiful!” in Japanese. When we get impressed with the beauty of Kyoto, we can use “kirei” as follows.

Japanese native speakers often use “kirei” like this. This usage is unique to “kirei”, I think. They rarely use “utsukushii” like an interjection to say “beautiful!” Grammatically, it is very possible to use “utsukushii” for this purpose. But, it sounds a bit weird.

So far, I’ve explained “kireina” and how to use it. However, please recall the fact that it has multiple meanings. It can mean ‘beautiful’, ‘clean’, or ‘neat’ depending on the situation and context. So, the example sentences explained above can be translated into English as “Kyoto is clean” or “Kyoto is neat” as well. “Kireina” is not a dedicated word for ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. This is one of the differences between “kireina” and “utsukushii”.

Next, then, let me explain the other option: “utsukushii”.

Definition and meaning of “utsukushii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utsukushii”.

• utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

As you can see here, its grammatical definition is different from that of “kireina”. So, they are very different from the grammatical point of view.

In addition, “utsukushii” is more like a dedicated word for ‘beautiful’. It is not suitable for ‘clean’, ‘neat’, or some such. So, situations where “utsukushii” is used are different from those where “kireina” is used.

Then, let me explain how to use “utsukuhii” through the example sentences below.

Example #3: how to say “beautiful” in Japanese with “utsukushii”

The example sentence #1 can be paraphrased with “utsukushii” like this. This sentence sounds a bit different from the one with “kireina” does. While “kireina” focuses more on the appearance of Kyoto, “utsukushii” can describe both its appearance and its inside. So, “utsukushii” would be suitable to describe the beauty of Kyoto including its spirit, history, and something behind its appearance. In a way, “utsukushii” is a bit more sophisticated word.

Like “kireina”, “utsukushii” can also be used at a position of complement.

Example #4: how to use “utsukushii” as a complement

“Utsukushii” doesn’t need to be conjugated for this usage. It can be put at a position of complement as it is.

For the reason I’ve explained above, this sentence gives us a bit more sophisticated impression than the one with “kireina” does. Perhaps, it could sound a bit cheesy depending on the situation. In most situations, therefore, “Kyoto wa kirei”, would be better and sound more natural.

Summary: Kireina vs Utsukushii

In this blog post, I’ve explained both “kireina” and “utsukushii”. Here, let me summarize their differences as follows.

• Their grammatical definitions are different. “Kireina” is a na-adjective while “utsukushii” is an i-adjective.
• “Kireina” has multiple meanings while “utsukushii” is more like a dedicated word for ‘beautiful’.
• “Kireina” focuses more on the beauty of appearance while “utsukushii” can describe both appearance and inside.
• “Kirei” can be used like an interjection to say “beautiful!” while “utsukushii” is rarely used for this purpose.
• “Kireina” needs to be conjugated to be placed at a position of complement while “utsukushii” doesn’t.
• “Utsukushii” could sound a bit cheesy depending on the situation.

Below are the grammatical definitions and meanings of both words.

• kireina – 綺麗な (きれいな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’, ‘clean’, or ‘neat’ in Japanese.
• utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.