(みにく)

みにくい
i-adjective
ugly; unsightly; shameful
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present(みにく)(みにく)くない
Past(みにく)かった(みにく)くなかった
て form(みにく)くて(みにく)くなくて
Adverbial(みにく)
Conditional ば(みにく)ければ(みにく)くなければ
Conditional たら(みにく)かったら(みにく)くなかったら
1. ugly; unsightly
Unpleasant or offensive to look at.
Do you know the story 'The Ugly Duckling'?
An ugly scar remained.
I think it's an unsightly building.
(みにく)(かお)している
He has an ugly face.
2. shameful; disgraceful; unseemly
Morally repugnant or causing embarrassment.
The ugly struggle for power continued.
I don't want to show my ugly side.
I can't forgive such shameful behavior.
It's a disgraceful fight over money.
Jealousy is an unseemly emotion.
He revealed his shameful true nature.

(みにく)い is an i-adjective meaning ugly, both physically and morally.

FORMS:

  • Adverbial: (みにく)
  • Noun form: (みにく)さ (ugliness)

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • (みにく)姿(すがた) (ugly appearance/form)
  • (みにく)(あらそ)い (unseemly conflict)
  • (みにく)いアヒルの() (The Ugly Duckling)

ANTONYMS:

  • (うつく)しい: Beautiful
  • 綺麗(きれい): Beautiful, pretty

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • (みにく)い vs. ブサイク: (みにく)い is the standard/literary term; ブサイク is slang/colloquial for "ugly" (appearance).
  • (みにく)い vs. 見苦(みぐる)しい: 見苦(みぐる)しい focuses more on being "unpleasant to watch" (behavior), while (みにく)い covers both appearance and morality.

Register: Neutral to formal. A strong word that can be offensive when applied directly to people.