醜 — “Ugly / Unclean / Shame / Bad Looking” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, みにく, しこ

Radical ⾣ · radical 164 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Ugly / Unclean / Shame / Bad Looking” in Japanese is 醜, read shuu, miniku, shiko (しゅう, みにく, しこ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 醜悪 (ugliness).

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What does 醜 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	醜
Meaning	Ugly / Unclean / Shame / Bad Looking
Readings	しゅう, みにく, しこ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	醜悪 (ugliness)

How to read 醜

醜 is read shuu (しゅう) or miniku (みにく) or shiko (しこ) depending on the word.

Words with 醜

醜悪

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Kanji read the same way as 醜

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28