LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N4Lesson notes · Oct 8, 2026

Ugly in Japanese: 醜みにくい, ブサイク, ダサい, and which one is safe to say

"Ugly" is not one word in Japanese — it is a sorting question: 醜みにくい (みにくい) is formal and written, ブサイク is a blunt word for faces, ダサい is for uncool style, and 汚きたない (きたない) is for dirty things — and the safest rule is to use these words on objects, never on a person's face.

English lets you say "that's ugly" about a sweater, a building, a haircut, and a person with one word. Japanese splits those jobs across several words, and the wrong choice does not just sound odd — it can sound cruel. This article shows what each word really covers, how anime characters use them as jokes, and what to say instead when you want to be honest without hurting anyone.

The basics

What is the standard word for "ugly" in Japanese?

The dictionary answer is 醜みにくい (みにくい). It is an i-adjective, and it belongs mostly to writing and serious speech: novels, news, essays, and discussions of morality.

醜みにくい争あらそいは見みたくない。 — I don't want to see an ugly fight. (written or formal tone, a fight that is morally unpleasant) あの建物たてものは街まちの景色けしきに合あわなくて、醜みにくいと言いう人ひともいる。 — Some people say that building is ugly because it doesn't fit the cityscape. (careful, a bit formal)

Notice that 醜みにくい is very often about behavior or ideas, not looks. An "ugly argument" or "ugly jealousy" is 醜みにくい. It has a heavy, almost literary weight. If you say it in a casual chat about someone's new shoes, it sounds like you swallowed a textbook.

Which word do people actually say for an ugly face?

In speech, the common word for a plain or unattractive face is ブサイク (不細工ぶさいく, ぶさいく). It is direct, and it is an insult when aimed at a person.

この犬いぬ、ブサイクだけど、めっちゃ愛あいされてる。 — This dog is ugly, but it's loved so much. (casual, affectionate joke about a pet) 自分じぶんの顔かおがブサイクだと思おもって、写真しゃしんが苦手にがてだった。 — I thought my face was ugly, so I hated photos. (talking about your own feelings, honest and a little sad)

Used about yourself, a pet, or a fictional character, ブサイク is fine. Said to a real person's face, it is an attack. We will come back to this in the mistakes section.

What do you say about clothes and style?

Use ダサい for "uncool," "tacky," or "out of fashion." It is casual slang and the most useful word on this list, because it points at taste, not at a person's body.

この服ふく、ちょっとダサいかな。 — Is this outfit a little uncool? (casual, asking a friend) そのデザインはダサいから、変かえよう。 — That design is tacky, so let's change it. (casual, work among friends)

A close cousin is かっこ悪わるい (かっこわるい), literally "not cool-looking." It is a little softer than ダサい and can describe behavior too: giving up halfway, or running away from a hard talk.

途中とちゅうで逃にげるのは、かっこ悪わるいよ。 — Running away halfway is uncool. (casual, a friendly warning)

What about "ugly" meaning dirty?

When English says "ugly" about a messy room, a stained wall, or a bad handwriting, Japanese often chooses 汚きたない (きたない), which means dirty, messy, or unclean.

この壁かべ、汚きたないから、ペンキを塗ぬり直なおそう。 — This wall is dirty, so let's repaint it. (casual, plain description) 字じが汚きたなくて、読よめない。 — The handwriting is messy, so I can't read it. (casual, complaint)

汚きたない can also mean "unfair" or "sneaky" in a moral sense: 汚きたないやり方かた means a dirty trick. For the clean side of this idea, see clean in Japanese.

Beyond the basics

Which words are strong insults?

Two words sit at the dangerous end. ブス is the sharp, female-directed version of ブサイク, and it is the word most likely to cause real hurt. キモい means "gross, creepy," and it is aimed at behavior or presence, not only looks.

Word What it targets Strength Safe to say to a person?
醜みにくい morality, scenery, ideas formal, written rarely natural in speech
ブサイク face, appearance strong no
ブス a woman's face very strong insult no
キモい gross, creepy feeling strong no
ダサい style, taste, clothes casual, medium only with close friends
かっこ悪わるい looks or behavior casual, mild with friends
汚きたない dirty, messy plain about things, yes

If you remember only one line from this table, remember the last column. Most words in the middle are fine for things and risky for people.

How is it different from 美うつくしい and きれい?

These are the opposite side of the scale, covered in Japanese words for beautiful. The balance matters: 美うつくしい (うつくしい) is the formal "beautiful" that pairs with 醜みにくい in written contrast, while きれい is the everyday word. 醜みにくい is the formal pair of 美うつくしい; ブサイク is not the everyday pair of きれい. The everyday opposite of きれい is usually 汚きたない when you mean dirty, or simply "not きれい" when you mean plain-looking.

美うつくしいものと醜みにくいものは、並ならべて見みると違ちがいがわかる。 — Beautiful things and ugly things show their difference when you see them side by side. (formal, written or lecture tone)

What is ブサかわ, and why is it a compliment?

ブサかわ is ブサイク plus かわいい (cute) squeezed together: "ugly-cute." It describes things that are not pretty but lovable: a squished-face cat, a strange mascot, a toy with odd proportions. It is a warm word. キモかわ works the same way with キモい: "creepy-cute," like a weird monster plush that people still want to hug. The cute side of this vocabulary lives in cute in Japanese.

このぬいぐるみ、ブサかわで最高さいこう! — This stuffed toy is ugly-cute and the best! (casual, warm praise) キモかわいいキャラが好すきなんだよね。 — I like creepy-cute characters, you know. (casual, talking about taste)

Both are for things and characters. Calling a real person ブサかわ is still risky, because the first half of the word is still "ugly."

How do anime characters use these words?

In anime, you will often hear these words in jokes between friends, from a rival who is being dramatic, or from a character who wants to show a rough personality. A tough character may say ダサい in a bored voice to mock a plan. A loud comedy character may shout ブサイク as a quick insult, and the scene works because the audience knows it is exaggerated and the friends will forgive it. In a serious drama, a villain may say 醜みにくい about someone's greed or a plan, and the weight of that word sets a cold tone.

The tone is the point. The same word that is funny between cartoon friends can end a real friendship. Anime is a good place to learn how these words sound, but it is a bad guide for when you may say them, because the script already tells you the relationship is safe.

Can you say these things politely?

Usually you do not need to. If you really have to give negative feedback on a design or an outfit, Japanese prefers softening over blunt words.

ちょっと、好このみじゃないかもしれません。 — It may not be quite my taste. (polite, soft opinion) もう少すこし、すっきりしたほうがいいと思おもいます。 — I think it would be better a bit cleaner and simpler. (polite, constructive) ほかの色いろのほうが、合あうと思おもいます。 — I think another color would suit it better. (polite, direct but gentle)

The word "ugly" almost never appears in polite feedback. You name the fix instead of the flaw.

Common mistakes

  • Using 醜みにくい in everyday chat. 「その靴くつ、醜みにくいね」 sounds like a written essay, and it is harsher than you intend. For shoes, bags, and clothes, use ダサい, or better, say 好このみじゃない.
  • Calling a person ブス or ブサイク "as a joke." Learners hear it in comedy scenes and copy it. Without that comedic setup, it lands as a real insult, and there is no easy way to take it back.
  • Mixing up 汚きたない and 醜みにくい. 汚きたない is physical dirt or mess (or a dirty trick). 醜みにくい is moral or aesthetic ugliness. A dirty bathroom is 汚きたない, not 醜みにくい.
  • Using ダサい for a person's looks. ダサい is about style and taste, so it points at their choices. It is still not a compliment, but it is milder than ブサイク. Even so, say it only to close friends.
  • Asking "Is she ugly?" with ブサイク in front of others. Describing a third person this way can spread quickly. If you need to talk about appearance, say 好このみのタイプじゃない or skip the topic.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 4 and 5 are a pair — the same kind of "ugly" thing, two different words.

1. You want to say that an ugly fight is morally unpleasant, in a written tone. Which word fits?

Show answer

醜みにくい — 醜みにくい争あらそい. It is formal and often about behavior or ideas, not just looks.

2. Your friend asks if their outfit looks bad. Which casual word means "uncool, tacky"?

Show answer

ダサい — it points at style and taste, which is why it is the safest word for clothes.

3. A wall is stained and a room is messy. Which word do you choose?

Show answer

汚きたない — it means dirty or messy, so it fits physical mess, not moral ugliness.

4. A stuffed toy has odd proportions, but you love it. Say "It's ugly-cute."

Show answer

ブサかわ — ブサイク plus かわいい. It is a warm word for things that are not pretty but lovable.

5. A real person's face: you want to say they are not attractive. What is the safe choice?

Show answer

Say nothing like ブサイク. Calling a real face ugly is a blunt insult. The pair to question 4: the same "ugly" feeling, a toy gets ブサかわ, a person gets silence.

6. Which word is the sharpest insult on the list, aimed at a woman's face?

Show answer

ブス — it is the strongest of these words, and it hurts. Do not use it, even as a joke.

7. Why is 「その靴くつ、醜みにくいね」 a poor choice for a casual chat?

Show answer

醜みにくい is formal and written. In casual talk it sounds stiff and harsher than ダサい, which is the natural word for shoes.

8. You want to give soft feedback on a design in a meeting. Which sentence works?

Show answer

ちょっと、好このみじゃないかもしれません。 — "it may not be quite my taste." Polite feedback names the fix or the taste, not the flaw.

9. What does かっこ悪わるい add that ダサい does not always cover?

Show answer

Behavior. 途中とちゅうで逃にげるのは、かっこ悪わるい — giving up or running away is uncool. ダサい is more about style and taste.

Use a trial lesson to sort 醜みにくい, ブサイク, ダサい and 汚きたない by what they describe, and decide which are safe to say out loud.

FAQ

Is 醜みにくい the same as "ugly" in English? Partly. It covers the written, morally charged meaning well, but in everyday speech Japanese people usually choose ダサい for style, ブサイク for faces, and 汚きたない for mess.

Is ブサイク always an insult? No. For a pet, a mascot, or yourself, it can be affectionate or self-deprecating. For another person's face it is a direct insult, so keep it away from real people.

What is the difference between ダサい and かっこ悪わるい? ダサい is mostly about fashion and taste: tacky, out of date. かっこ悪わるい is a little softer and can also describe behavior, like giving up halfway or acting selfishly.

What is ブサかわ? It means "ugly-cute." People say it about things and characters that are not pretty but charming, like a squished-face cat or an odd mascot. It is a compliment for things.

Should a learner ever say ブス? No. Even if you hear it in anime or comedy, in real conversation it is a harsh insult and can end a friendship. Leave it out of your active vocabulary.

How do I say "that's ugly" about my own room or work politely? Say 汚きたないですね for a messy room, or 見た目みためをもう少すこし整ととのえたいです for a design you want to improve. The second one names what you want, not what is wrong.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

醜い	みにくい — ugly (formal, written, often moral)
ブサイク	ぶさいく — ugly, plain-faced (blunt)
ダサい	ださい — uncool, tacky
かっこ悪い	かっこわるい — uncool, not stylish
汚い	きたない — dirty, messy
ブス	ぶす — ugly woman (strong insult)
キモい	きもい — gross, creepy
ブサかわ	ぶさかわ — ugly-cute
キモかわ	きもかわ — creepy-cute
服	ふく — clothes
顔	かお — face
好み	このみ — taste, preference

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up whenever someone wants to say what they dislike. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

More “Describing Things: Japanese Adjectives & Opposites” articles →

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