美

See also: 菐 and 実
美 U+7F8E, 美
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7F8E
← 羍
[U+7F8D] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 羏 →
[U+7F8F]

Translingual
Stroke order
9 strokes
Stroke order
(Chinese)
Stroke order
(Japan)

Han character

美 (Kangxi radical 123, 羊+3, 9 strokes, cangjie input 廿土大 (TGK), four-corner 80431, composition ⿱𦍌大)

Descendants

Derived characters
  • 𡮔, 𦎡, 𫝥, 𦏄, 𦏒, 𨷑, 媄, 𰌗, 𥈢, 𠸍, 𢱒, 𦝺, 𣮺, 𣈸, 鎂(镁), 𥖺, 𤧞, 𧶾, 渼, 𪹏, 𮊮, 𣖙, 䓺, 羹, 𬗮, 𥻙, 躾, 𠁍, 𡎤, 嵄, 𬒙, 𨺰, 𮠻, 𨸈, 𬮎, 𠝫, 𪻄, 𫖿

References
  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 951, character 10
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 28435
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1393, character 17
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3126, character 5
  • Unihan data for U+7F8E


Chinese
trad. 美
simp. # 美
alternative forms 媄
羙
媺 ancient
嬍 ancient
𫟈

Glyph origin
Historical forms of the character 美
Shang Western Zhou
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions
Characters in the same phonetic series (美) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
美 *mriʔ
渼 *mriʔ
媄 *mriʔ

Pictogram (象形) – a person (大) wearing a headdress (now written 羊) of feathers or ram's horn.

The modern form could be considered an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 羊 (“ram or feathers”) + 大 (“person”).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mwaj (“beautiful, well, perfectly”) (STEDT).

According to Schuessler (2007), cognate with Mizo mawi (“beautiful, lovely”), Jingpho moi (“perfectly, beautifully”) as well as Karbi me- (“be good”) and Jingpho cha mai (“good”); the former two items from *moy "beautiful" and the latter from *may "good, well", which were two roots reconstructed separately by Benedict (1972).

Pronunciation

Note:
  • mui2 - literary;
  • bhuê2 - vernacular.
      • (Leizhou)
        • Leizhou Pinyin: mui2
        • Sinological IPA: /mui³¹/
    • Wu
      • (Shanghai):
        • Wugniu: 5me
        • MiniDict: 'me去
        • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): 2'me
        • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /me³⁴/
    • Xiang
      • (Changsha)
        • Wiktionary: mei3
        • Sinological IPA (key): /me̞i̯⁴¹/
Rime
Character 美
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 明 (4)
Final (韻) 脂 (17)
Tone (調) Rising (X)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 無鄙切
Baxter mijX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /mˠiɪX/
Pan
Wuyun		 /mᵚiX/
Shao
Rongfen		 /miɪX/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /mjiX/
Li
Rong		 /mjiX/
Wang
Li		 /miX/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /miX/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 mǐ
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex		 mei5
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 美
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 měi
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ mijX ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[m]rəjʔ/
English beautiful

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 美
Reading # 1/1
No. 8951
Phonetic
component		 美
Rime
group		 脂
Rime
subdivision		 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 美
Old
Chinese		 /*mriʔ/
Notes 甲文象大人首插翎羽表美觀，
取陳獨秀說

Definitions

美

  1. beautiful; pretty; attractive; good-looking
    美人  ―  měirén  ―  beautiful woman
    香港的夜景真美啊！ [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Xiānggǎng de yèjǐng zhēn měi a! [Pinyin]
    Hong Kong's nightscape is so beautiful!
  2. delicious; tasty; flavoursome
    美食  ―  měishí  ―  culinary delicacy
  3. good; fine; satisfactory; happy
    美酒  ―  měijiǔ  ―  good wine
    價廉物美／价廉物美  ―  jiàliánwùměi  ―  to be attractive in price and quality
  4. to beautify; to prettify
    美容  ―  měiróng  ―  to improve one's appearance
  5. to praise; to commend
  6. (colloquial) to be pleased with oneself
    他不就是得了個一百分兒嗎？看把他美得！ [MSC, trad.]
    他不就是得了个一百分儿吗？看把他美得！ [MSC, simp.]
    Tā bù jiù shi dé le ge yī bǎi fēnr ma? Kàn bǎ tā měi de! [Pinyin]
    Didn't he just get a one hundred percent? Look at how pleased it made him!
  7. beautiful things; beauty
    藝術美／艺术美  ―  yìshù měi  ―  artistic beauty
    曲線美／曲线美  ―  qūxiàn měi  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  8. Short for 美洲 (Měizhōu, “America (continent)”).
    南美  ―  Nánměi  ―  South America
  9. Short for 美國／美国 (Měiguó, “United States of America”).
    美籍華人／美籍华人  ―  Měi jí Huárén  ―  Chinese American
  10. a surname. Mei

Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 漂亮 (“good-looking; beautiful; pretty”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 漂亮, 好看, 美, 美麗, 美觀, 佳
Mandarin Beijing 好看, 漂亮, 俊
Taiwan 好看, 漂亮
Tianjin 好看, 漂亮
Tangshan 好看
Cangzhou 好看, 漂亮, 俊
Baoding 好看, 漂亮
Shijiazhuang 好看
Chifeng 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 好看, 漂亮
Harbin 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 美
Shenyang 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
Yantai (Muping) 俊
Qingdao 漂亮, 俊
Jinan 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 俊巴, 美
Luoyang 好看, 漂亮, 美, 標緻
Wanrong 好看
Zhengzhou 漂亮, 標緻, 好看, 齊整
Xi'an 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 嫽, 排場, 心疼
Yinchuan 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊
Lanzhou 好看, 漂亮, 美, 俊
Xining 好看, 標緻, 俊, 秀溜
Ürümqi 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 翠活
Wuhan 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 體面, 寧馨, 標, 媌, 刮氣, 美
Chengdu 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖, 抻展
Chongqing 美, 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖
Guiyang 抻透, 抻展, 好看, 漂亮, 秀氣
Kunming 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
Guilin 漂亮
Liuzhou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 靚2, 㜺
Xuzhou 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊, 冠冕, 辦事
Yangzhou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜
Nanjing 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜
Hefei 美, 漂亮, 好看, 格式, 排場
Nantong 好看, 漂亮
Singapore 美, 好看, 漂亮, 美麗
Cantonese Guangzhou 靚2, 好睇, 好樣
Hong Kong 靚2, 好睇
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 靚2
Macau 靚2
Guangzhou (Panyu) 靚2
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 靚2
Guangzhou (Conghua) 靚2
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 靚2
Foshan 靚2
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 靚2
Foshan (Shunde) 靚2
Foshan (Sanshui) 靚2
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 靚2
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 靚2
Zhuhai (Qianshan) 靚2
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 靚2
Zhuhai (Doumen) 靚2
Jiangmen (Baisha) 靚2
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 靚2
Taishan 靚2
Kaiping (Chikan) 靚2
Enping (Niujiang) 靚2
Heshan (Yayao) 靚2
Dongguan 靚2, 好樣
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 靚2
Yangjiang 好看, 好樣, 靚2, 整齊
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 靚2
Penang (Guangfu) 靚2
Singapore (Guangfu) 靚2
Gan Nanchang 客氣, 好看, 漂亮, 齊整
Lichuan 好看
Pingxiang 好看, 客氣, 漂亮, 標緻, 標
Hakka Meixian 好看, 靚2, 靚3, 僐, 勁, 趣, 端, 標緻, 儒雅
Xingning 靚2
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 靚2
Huiyang 靚2
Huidong (Daling) 靚2
Dongguan (Qingxi) 靚2
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 靚2
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 靚2
Wuhua (Shuizhai) 靚2
Wuhua (Huacheng) 俏, 靚2
Wuhua (Changbu) 靚2
Wuhua (Mianyang) 靚3
Heyuan (Bendihua) 靚2
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 靚3
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 排場
Liannan 靚2
Conghua (Lütian) 靚2
Jiexi 靚2
Changting 靚3
Wuping 靚3
Wuping (Pingyu) 靚3
Liancheng 靚3
Ninghua 靚3
Yudu 標緻, 齊整
Ruijin 靚3
Shicheng 像, 標緻, 好看
Shangyou (Shexi) 靚2, 整, 標緻
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 靚3
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 鬧, 靚3
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 靚3
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 靚3
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 靚3
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 靚3
Hong Kong 靚2
Luchuan 靚2
Senai (Huiyang) 靚2
Kuching (Hepo) 靚3
Huizhou Jixi 好看, 標緻, 漂亮
Shexian 好看, 漂亮
Jin Taiyuan 好看, 襲人, 客戲, 漂亮
Xinzhou 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 爽整, 襲人, 緻氣
Linhe 美, 襲人, 好看, 漂亮
Jining 好看, 襲人
Hohhot 好看, 襲人, 俊, 漂亮
Zhangjiakou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊
Handan 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊俏, 俊
Northern Min Jian'ou 好覷, 雅式, 生得好
Eastern Min Fuzhou 俊, 生得好, 卓佳, 好看, 漂亮
Singapore (Fuqing) 俊
Southern Min Xiamen 媠, 好看
Xiamen (Tong'an) 媠, 俏
Quanzhou 媠, 媠靡, 㜅, 好看
Jinjiang 媠, 㜅
Shishi 媠
Anxi 媠
Zhangzhou 媠, 好看
Zhao'an 媠
Dongshan 媠
Taipei 媠
New Taipei (Sanxia) 媠
Kaohsiung 媠
Tainan 媠
Kinmen 媠
Penghu (Magong) 媠
Penang (Hokkien) 媠
Singapore (Hokkien) 媠, 俏
Manila (Hokkien) 媠, 好看, 㜅
Longyan 媠
Pingnan (Shangdu) 靚2
Chaozhou 雅, 好睇
Shantou 雅, 媠, 好睇
Shantou (Chenghai) 雅, 媠
Shantou (Chaoyang) 雅
Jieyang 雅, 媠, 如雅
Lufeng 媠, 生好
Haifeng 媠, 生好
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 雅
Singapore (Teochew) 雅
Leizhou 清楚
Wenchang 靚4, 好望
Haikou 靚4, 靚2, 靚仔, 雅目, 都緻
Qionghai 靚4
Singapore (Hainanese) 靚4
Zhongshan Min Shaxi (Longdu) 靚2, 好覷
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 㜺, 靚2
Wu Shanghai 漂亮, 好看, 好看相, 標緻
Shanghai (Chongming) 標緻, 樣式, 登樣
Suzhou 好看, 標緻, 登樣, 漂亮
Danyang 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
Hangzhou 好看, 漂亮
Ningbo 好看, 漂亮, 㜅, 㜅門, 㜅頭, 出格, 架勢, 細巧, 細相, 登樣
Wenzhou 好覷, 生好, 骨切
Jinhua 好望, 俏, 漂亮
Xiang Changsha 好看, 漂亮, 腆靦, 乖
Loudi 漂亮
Shuangfeng 好看, 漂亮

Compounds

Descendants
Sino-Xenic (美):
  • → Japanese: 美(み) (mi); 美(び) (bi)
  • → Korean: 미(美) (mi)
  • → Vietnamese: mĩ (美)

References

Japanese

Kanji
美

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

  1. beauty; beautiful

Readings

Compounds
Derived terms

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
美
び
Grade: 3
kan’on

Pronunciation

Adjective

美(び) • (bi) -na (adnominal 美(び)な (bi na), adverbial 美(び)に (bi ni))

  1. beautiful
Inflection
Inflection of 美
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 美だろ びだろ bi daro
Continuative (連用形) 美で びで bi de
Terminal (終止形) 美だ びだ bi da
Attributive (連体形) 美な びな bi na
Hypothetical (仮定形) 美なら びなら bi nara
Imperative (命令形) 美であれ びであれ bi de are
Key constructions
Informal negative 美ではない
美じゃない		 びではない
びじゃない		 bi de wa nai
bi ja nai
Informal past 美だった びだった bi datta
Informal negative past 美ではなかった
美じゃなかった		 びではなかった
びじゃなかった		 bi de wa nakatta
bi ja nakatta
Formal 美です びです bi desu
Formal negative 美ではありません
美じゃありません		 びではありません
びじゃありません		 bi de wa arimasen
bi ja arimasen
Formal past 美でした びでした bi deshita
Formal negative past 美ではありませんでした
美じゃありませんでした		 びではありませんでした
びじゃありませんでした		 bi de wa arimasen deshita
bi ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive 美で びで bi de
Conditional 美なら（ば） びなら（ば） bi nara (ba)
Provisional 美だったら びだったら bi dattara
Volitional 美だろう びだろう bi darō
Adverbial 美に びに bi ni
Degree 美さ びさ bisa
Classical conjugation of "美なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形) 美ならびならbinara
Continuative (連用形) 美に[1]
美なり[2]		びに
びなり		bini
binari
Terminal (終止形) 美なりびなりbinari
Attributive (連体形) 美なるびなるbinaru
Realis (已然形) 美なれびなれbinare
Imperative (命令形) 美なれびなれbinare
Key constructions
Negative 美ならずびならずbinarazu
Contrasting conjunction 美なれどびなれどbinaredo
Causal conjunction 美なればびなればbinareba
Conditional conjunction 美ならばびならばbinaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) 美なりきびなりきbinariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) 美なりけりびなりけりbinarikeri
Adverbial 美にびにbini
[1]Without auxiliary verb.
[2]With auxiliary verb.

Noun

美(び) • (bi) 

  1. beauty
    自(し)然(ぜん)の美(び)
    shizen no bi
    beauty of nature; natural beauty

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
美
み
Grade: 3
goon

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [mʲi]

Affix

美(み) • (mi) 

  1. beauty; beautiful

Suffix

美(み) • (-mi) 

  1. suffix used by female given names, such as 奈美 (なみ, Nami), 恵美 (えみ, Emi; めぐみ, Megumi), 宏美 (ひろみ, Hiromi)
  2. (rare) suffix used by male given names

References
  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 美 (MC mijX).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448밍〯 (Yale: mǐ)
Middle Korean
TextEumhun
Gloss (hun)Reading
Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575아ᄅᆞᆷ다올 (Yale: alom-tawol)미 (Yale: mi)

Pronunciation
  • (USA (in compounds)):
  • (beauty; good; etc.):
    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [mi(ː)]
    • Phonetic hangul: [미(ː)]
      • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Wikisource 美 (eumhun 아름다울 미 (areumdaul mi))

  1. Hanja form? of 미 (“beauty; beautiful”). [noun]
  2. Hanja form? of 미 (“the USA, the Americas (in compounds, in news media)”). [proper noun]

Compounds
Compounds

Proper noun
Hanja in this term
美

美 • (Mi) (hangeul 미)

  1. (in headlines) Short for 美(미)國(국) (Miguk, “the USA”).
    美, 제안에 대해 긍정적 입장 보여
    Mi, jeane daehae geungjeongjeok ipjang boyeo
    The United States expressed a positive attitude toward the proposal.

Usage notes

A common convention in news headlines, this is almost always written solely in the Hanja form, even in contemporary Korean text otherwise devoid of any Hanja.

References
  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

美: Hán Việt readings: mỹ[1][2], mĩ[3]
美: Nôm readings: mẻ[2][3][4], mẹ[1][2], mỹ[1][2], mẽ[1][4], mỉa[1][4], mở[1], mỉ[3], mĩ[4]

  1. chữ Hán form of mĩ/mỹ (“beautiful; pretty; good”).

Compounds

References
  1. Nguyễn (2014).
  2. Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  3. Trần (2004).
  4. Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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