Explore 美 in descriptions of beauty, art and personal care. Learn each reading with a complete word.
The idea
美 has 9 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 美しい is read うつくしい, while 美術 is びじゅつ and 美容 is びよう. The suffix さ makes 美しさ, “beauty”.
Examples
- 今日の海は美しいです。The sea is beautiful today.
- 庭で美しい花を見ました。I saw a beautiful flower in the garden.
- 日曜日に美術館へ行きました。We went to the art museum on Sunday.
- 姉は美容の仕事をしています。My sister works in the beauty industry.
- このパンは美味しいです。This bread is delicious.
- この絵の美しさが好きです。I like the beauty of this painting.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
美味しい is usually read おいしい, not びみしい. Its spelling does not tell you the reading of each part; learn the whole word.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 美しい in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
うつくしい
美しい is うつくしい: 今日の海は美しい describes a beautiful sea.
Write the reading of 美術 in hiragana.
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びじゅつ
美術 is びじゅつ, meaning art; 美術館 is an art museum.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿容（びよう）［美／羊］.
Show answer or example answer
美
美 completes 美容（びよう）, beauty care. 羊 lacks the lower part of 美.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 美しい in hiragana.
Write the reading of 美術 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿容（びよう）［美／羊］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 美 using the diagram. Cover the examples, read 美しい and 美術, then describe something beautiful.