醜: the kanji for ugly

醜 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means ugly. Below are its readings, 4 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

uglyMeaning

シュウOn reading

みにくいKun reading

17Strokes

Stroke order

醜 is written in 17 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

醜 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 4 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

シュウ (shuu)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
醜態しゅうたい · shūtai	disgraceful behavior
醜聞しゅうぶん · shūbun	scandal
美醜びしゅう · bishū	beauty and ugliness

みにくい (minikui)

Kun reading.

Word	Meaning
醜いみにくい · minikui	ugly

Example sentences for work and daily life

醜いうそはつきたくない。Minikui uso wa tsukitakunai.I don't want to tell ugly lies.
醜い争いはやめよう。Minikui arasoi wa yameyō.Let's stop this ugly quarrel.
人前で醜態をさらしてしまった。Hitomae de shūtai o sarashite shimatta.I made a fool of myself in public.
政治家の醜聞が報じられた。Seijika no shūbun ga hōjirareta.A politician's scandal was reported.
人を見た目の美醜で判断しない。Hito o mitame no bishū de handan shinai.I don't judge people by their looks.

Questions about 醜

How many strokes does 醜 have?

醜 is written in 17 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 醜?

The on readings are shuu (シュウ). The kun readings are minikui (みにくい).

What JLPT level is 醜?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.