chic, style, purity, essence, pith, cream, elite, choice
粋 centers on the refined, concentrated best part of something: the essence, the cream, or the elite. It extends naturally to stylishness and chic as the purest expression of taste.
粋 is the modern simplified form of 粹. The older form combines 米 (rice) with 卒, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of pure, unadulterated grain. The modern right side 卆 is a simplified version of 卒.
The left side is 米 (rice), and the right side 卆 looks like a simplified 卒 (soldier/elite). Picture the elite soldier selecting only the purest, creamiest grains of rice—the essence of chic style.
For スイ, imagine the chic elite sipping the purest cream: sip -> スイ, and the cream is the essence of style.
pure; true; genuine; unmixed
extract; excerpt; selection
chic; smart; stylish; tasteful; refined; sophisticated
pure; genuine; trueborn; natural-born
national characteristics
boorish; inelegant; unpolished; unromantic; tactless
nationalism; extreme patriotism
ultranationalist
nationalistic; ultranationalistic
stylish; smart; chic; tasteful; snappy; dapper
the cream (pink) of fashion
elegance
essence; the best; cream
to be pretentious; to put on airs; to try to appear smart; to act brave; to try to look cool
too much pleasure ruins a man (esp. in reference to spending too much time with geisha and prostitutes); playing the dandy ruins a man
man of well-cultivated tastes
delicate judgment; delicate judgement
to be pretentious; to put on airs; to try to appear smart; to act brave; to try to look cool
to show tact (in relationship matters); to be considerate (e.g. of a couple); to be thoughtful
to collect the best; to put together the cream of the crop