美 — “beautiful” in Japanese

Grade 3び, うつく

Radical ⽺ · radical 123 The building block this kanji is filed under

“beautiful” in Japanese is 美, read bi, utsuku (び, うつく). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 美人 (beautiful person).

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What does 美 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	美
Meaning	beautiful
Readings	び, うつく
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	美人 (beautiful person)

How to read 美

美 is read bi (び) or utsuku (うつく) depending on the word.

Words with 美

美術館びじゅつかん
美人
美麗
褒美

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Updated: 2026-08-28