美女
bijo[bʲiʑo̞]
The Japanese phrase for beautiful lady is 美女 (bijo).
美女 is used to refer to a woman who is physically attractive.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 美 (beauty) and 女 (woman).
Which one should you use?
While 美女 focuses heavily on physical beauty, the term 美人 is a more common and slightly broader term for a beautiful woman that can also imply elegance or grace.
How do you pronounce it?
bijo
Did you know?
- The character 美 (beauty) is composed of elements that originally represented a 'big sheep' and 'taste', suggesting that beauty was once linked to the idea of something delicious or high-quality.
- While 美女 describes a beautiful woman, the term 美男子 (bidanshi) is used to describe a 'beautiful man', focusing on delicate or feminine facial features rather than traditional masculinity.
- While 美女 sounds very poetic, calling a woman 美女 to her face in a social setting can actually feel overly intense or even slightly objectifying compared to more subtle compliments.
Examples in context
- お会いできて光栄です。本当に美しい女性ですね。It's an honor to meet you. You are truly a beautiful woman.
- あなたは美人ですね。You are a beautiful lady.
- ホントに美人な人だな。You're truly a beautiful person.
- 彼女は街で一番の美女だ。Kanojo wa machi de ichiban no bijo da.She is the most beautiful lady in town.
- あそこに歩いているのは美女ですね。Asoko ni aruite iru no wa bijo desu ne.The one walking over there is a beautiful lady, isn't she?
- 彼女は絵画の中で美女として描かれている。Kanojo wa kaiga no naka de bijo to shite egakarete iru.She is depicted as a beautiful lady in the painting.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are looking at a magazine together.
- 陽太 Yotaこのモデルはすごい美女だね。Kono moderu wa sugoi bijo da ne.This model is such a beautiful lady.
- 美咲 Misaki本当にきれいな人だと思う。Hontou ni kireina hito da to omou.I think she is truly beautiful.
- 陽太 Yota美咲も美女だよ。Misaki mo bijo dayo.You are a beautiful lady too, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misakiもう、急に何を言うの！Mou, kyuu ni nani o iu no!Gee, what are you saying all of a sudden!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 美女, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
