Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
見苦しい (みぐるしい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
unsightly ; ugly ; shameful
Describes something visually unpleasant or morally disgraceful; often used for appearances, behavior, or situations that are hard to look at or embarrassing.
見み
苦ぐる
しい
態たい
度ど
は
やめ
た
ほう
が
いい
。
You should stop that disgraceful behavior.
Written forms 見み 苦ぐる しい Usage 98%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common and recommended form.
みぐるしい Usage 2%
Similar words 醜みにく い 醜い is a stronger, more direct word for 'ugly' in appearance or character, while 見苦しい often implies a sense of impropriety or unpleasantness to witness.
見み っともない 見っともない is more colloquial and focuses on looking shameful or embarrassing in front of others, whereas 見苦しい can also describe objective visual unpleasantness.
Etymology Compound of 見 (mi, 'seeing') + 苦しい (kurushii, 'painful'). Literally 'painful to look at', which developed into the modern sense of 'unsightly' or 'shameful'.
