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Kotomora

醜

ugly, unclean, shame, bad looking

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes17

Readings

On'yomi

  • シュウ

Kun'yomi

  • みにく.い
  • しこ

Meaning

醜 centers on a strong negative judgment of appearance or condition: something ugly, unclean, or shameful. The meanings connect through the idea of being unpleasant to look at or morally repulsive.

Most common words using 醜

20 of 28
  • 醜いみにくい
    N2

    ugly; unattractive; bad-looking

  • 醜しこ

    ugly; repulsive; detestable; contemptible

  • 醜しゅう

    ugliness

  • 醜悪しゅうあく

    ugly; unsightly; hideous; mean; repulsive; disgraceful

  • 醜態しゅうたい

    disgraceful behavior; disgraceful behaviour; shameful conduct; shameful sight

  • 醜聞しゅうぶん

    scandal

  • 美醜びしゅう

    beauty or ugliness

  • 醜女しゅうじょ

    ugly woman; unattractive woman

  • 妍醜けんしゅう

    beauty and ugliness

  • 老醜ろうしゅう

    ugliness of old age

  • 身体醜形症しんたいしゅうけいしょう

    body dysmorphic disorder; BDD

  • 身体醜形障害しんたいしゅうけいしょうがい

    body dysmorphic disorder; BDD

  • 醜と美しゅうとび

    ugliness and beauty

  • 醜の御楯しこのみたて

    the humble shield of our Sovereign Lord

  • 醜名しゅうめい

    scandal

  • 醜婦しゅうふ

    ugly woman; unattractive woman

  • 醜形恐怖症しゅうけいきょうふしょう

    dysmorphophobia; body dysmorphic disorder; cacophobia

  • 醜怪しゅうかい

    monstrously ugly; hideous; ugly and bizarre

  • 醜業しゅうぎょう

    prostitution

  • 醜業婦しゅうぎょうふ

    prostitute

Explore all words using 醜 →

Study

Etymology

醜 combines 酉 (wine vessel) and 鬼 (demon, spirit). The traditional explanation is that excessive drinking leads to ugly, shameful behavior, linking the wine vessel to the demon-like appearance.

Meaning mnemonic

A wine vessel 酉 beside a demon 鬼: imagine someone drinking too much and turning into an ugly, shameful mess, like a demon.

Reading mnemonic

For シュウ, picture a shoe (シュウ) that is so ugly and unclean that it looks like a demon stomped on a wine vessel. The shoe's ugliness cues シュウ.