How to say "good-looking" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- i-adjective (よい/いい)The common everyday choice for 'good-looking' in the attractive, cool, stylish sense — it fits people, clothes, cars, even behavior, so its nuance is overall appeal rather than facial beauty alone.
- prenominal modifierA katakana borrowing of the English phrase, meaning exactly 'good-looking' and nothing broader. Being less common, it is seldom the word you want — かっこいい is the natural everyday choice.
- 見目良いみめよいi-adjectiveDescribes a person's looks, especially the face, as pleasing and attractive. Being less common, it is seldom the word you want in your own conversation.
- 見目麗しいみめうるわしいi-adjectiveGood-looking with a strong sense of beauty: someone whose features are fair and lovely rather than just cool. Less common, so it is seldom the word you want in conversation.
- 格好の良いかっこうのいいexpression, i-adjective (よい/いい)Covers the same attractive, stylish, cool ground as かっこいい but is less common, so in ordinary use かっこいい is the word you will actually hear.
For the everyday attractive-stylish-cool sense choose 「かっこいい」, with 「格好の良い」 as a less common equivalent; 「見目良い」 and 「見目麗しい」 describe pleasing, beautiful looks; 「グッドルッキング」 is a less common loanword seldom worth using.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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