piękny
/ˈpjɛŋk.nɘ/masculine
The Polish word for beautiful is piękny.
Piękny is the most basic and commonly used word for beautiful in Polish. It can refer to both people and things.
Meaning: attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While piękny means beautiful, you may also encounter ładny, which is a common alternative meaning pretty or nice-looking.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender of the noun it describes: piękny is the masculine form, piękna is the feminine form and piękne is the neuter form. The masculine personal plural form is also piękny.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpjɛŋk.nɘ/.
Did you know?
- In certain colloquial contexts, calling someone piękny in a sarcastic tone can be used to describe someone who has made a 'beautiful' mess or a huge mistake.
- The phrase piękna pogoda is the standard way to say 'beautiful weather', and unlike in English, it is very common to use this as a default conversation starter with complete strangers.
- The word piękny is a cognate with the word 'peck' in some very distant linguistic roots, originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂ḱ-der.
Examples in context
- To był piękny ślub.It was a beautiful wedding.This sentence uses piękny to describe a wedding.Tatoeba #2964000 by ridilla, translation #2045785 by CK
- Ten dom jest piękny.The house is beautiful.This sentence uses piękny to describe a house.Tatoeba #405639 by zipangu, translation #1617822 by Spamster
- To byl piękny widok.It was a beautiful sight.This sentence uses piękny to describe a sight.Tatoeba #12180516 by polski_ren, translation #37782 by CK
- To jest piękny krajobraz.This is a beautiful landscape.
- Ona jest piękna.She is beautiful.
- Twoje dzieci są bardzo śliczne!Your children are very cute!
- Ten kotek jest naprawdę uroczy!This kitty is really adorable!
- 68 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Małgorzata and Piotr are looking at a painting in a gallery.
- MałgorzataSpójrz na ten obraz, jest naprawdę piękny.Look at this painting, it is really beautiful.
- PiotrMasz rację, kolory są niesamowite.You are right, the colors are amazing.
- MałgorzataTo najpiękniejszy obraz w całym muzeum.It is the most beautiful painting in the whole museum.
- PiotrZgadzam się, Piotr bardzo go lubi.I agree, Piotr likes it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations and entries piękny, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piękny, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
