美しい・愛しい|うつくしいutsukushii[4]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivebeautiful; pretty; lovely; sweet; pure (heart, friendship, etc.)
   あなたは美うつくしい蝶々ちょうちょうです。↗

   You are a beautiful butterfly.

• SynonymきれいNeutralThe everyday word for pretty or good-looking; also covers clean and tidy, as in 「きれいな部屋」. More colloquial than 「美しい」, which is more literary and refined.
• Synonym華麗かれいNeutralGorgeous and dazzling rather than simply beautiful, as in 「華麗な演技」; often used of performances.
• SynonymビューティフルCasualA loanword for beautiful, seen mostly in ads and song titles; not much used on its own in daily speech.
• Synonym明媚めいびWrittenWritten language used only of scenery, as in 「明媚な春」; not used of people.
• Synonym佳麗かれいWrittenWritten and rather archaic: fine, refined beauty, or a beautiful woman; rare in daily use.
• Synonym風光明媚ふうこうめいびWrittenA four-character idiom for beautiful, picturesque scenery, as in 「風光明媚な土地」; common in travel writing.
• Synonym端麗たんれいWrittenWritten language for neat, refined looks, as in 「容姿端麗」; mostly describes a person's appearance.
• Synonym麗しいうるわしいWrittenWritten and elegant: lovely and moving, often for hearts and bonds like 「麗しい友情」.
• Synonym秀麗しゅうれいWrittenWritten language for outstanding, refined beauty, as in 「眉目秀麗」; mostly men's features or mountains.
• Synonym美麗びれいWrittenWritten language for gorgeous, showy beauty of appearance, as in 「美麗な装丁」.
• Synonym婉美えんびWrittenWritten and very rare: gentle, graceful charm, chiefly a woman's soft allure.
• Synonym優艶ゆうえんWrittenWritten and uncommon: tender, refined beauty, chiefly a woman's graceful charm.
• Synonym鮮麗せんれいWrittenWritten language for vivid, brilliant color, as in 「鮮麗な色彩」; the emphasis is on color.
• Synonym典麗てんれいWrittenWritten language for stately, graceful beauty, close in meaning to 「典雅」; not a word you will meet often.
• Synonym美妙びみょうWrittenWritten language for exquisite, enchanting sound, as in 「美妙な調べ」; mostly music and voices.
• Related壮麗そうれいWrittenWritten language for magnificent, grand beauty on a large scale, as in 「壮麗な宮殿」.
• Related流麗りゅうれいWrittenWritten language for beauty that flows smoothly, whether in prose, music or the lines of a shape, as in 「流麗な文章」「流麗なフォルム」.
• Related絶佳ぜっかWrittenWritten language for superb, matchless beauty, usually of views, as in 「眺望絶佳」; can also praise things as excellent.
• Related雅やかみやびやかWrittenWritten language for refined, courtly elegance, as in 「雅やかな衣装」.
• Related雅びたみやびたWrittenWritten language for tasteful, old-world refinement of mood, as in 「雅びた趣」.
• Related典雅てんがWrittenWritten language for dignified, classical elegance, as in 「典雅な調べ」; often of music and architecture.
• Related風雅ふうがWrittenWritten language for refined, artistic taste, as in 「風雅を愛する」; about cultured pursuits, not looks.
• RelatedたおやかWrittenWritten language for a woman's supple, willowy grace, as in 「たおやかな女性」.
• Related雅みやびWrittenA noun and na-adjective for courtly elegance and refinement, as in 「みやびな世界」; about style and tone.
• Antonym醜いみにくいNeutralThe direct antonym: ugly in looks, and also ugly in behavior, as in 「醜い争い」.
• Antonym見苦しいみぐるしいNeutralThe opposite of 「美しい」 in the sense of unsightly or unseemly, as in 「見苦しい言い訳」.

For beautiful in general, 「美しい」 is the default; in casual speech 「きれい」 is the usual choice. For scenery use 「明媚」 or 「風光明媚」, for refined looks 「端麗」, for gorgeous dazzle 「華麗」, for grandeur 「壮麗」, for elegance 「雅やか」. The other written words differ mainly in the kind of beauty they stress: vivid color (「鮮麗」), smooth flow (「流麗」), charm of sound (「美妙」), soft feminine grace (「嫋やか」「優艶」), cultured taste (「風雅」). The antonyms are 「醜い」 for ugly and 「見苦しい」 for unseemly.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. (うつくしい) 形容詞けいようし「愛いとしい」の語幹ごかん。