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道Nihongo Path
醜

醜·ugly, unclean, shame

On-yomi
シュウ
Kun-yomi
みにく(い)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
醜いみにくいugly; unseemly
醜悪しゅうあくhideous; repellent
醜聞しゅうぶんscandal
醜態しゅうたいdisgraceful behaviour

Example sentences

  1. 遺産をめぐって醜い争いが起きた。

    いさんをめぐってみにくいあらそいがおきた。

    An ugly dispute broke out over the inheritance.

  2. 酔って醜態をさらしてしまった。

    よってしゅうたいをさらしてしまった。

    He drank too much and made a disgraceful spectacle of himself.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • 醜い is often about behaviour (醜い争い), not only looks
  • 醜い (みにくい, ugly) sounds exactly like 見にくい (hard to see)

Memory aid

Picture it

The wine jar 酉 next to the demon 鬼: drink turns a person into something ugly.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 醜 mean?