Which one should you use?
While イケメン refers to an attractive man, the standard term for a beautiful woman is 美人. If you want to describe something as beautiful regardless of gender, you might use 美しい. To describe someone as cool or good looking, you can also use カッコいい. For a general sense of a handsome man, ハンサム is another option and 可愛い can be used to mean cute or to express that you like someone's appearance.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
イケメン is a colloquial term. It is common in casual conversations, on social media and within pop culture.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, the phrase めっちゃカッコええ is used to mean really cool or good looking.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, イケメン can be used directly as a subject or an object in a sentence without needing an adjective particle like 'na'.
How do you pronounce it?
ikemen
Did you know?
- The origin of the 'ike' part comes from 'iketeru', which literally means 'to be able to go', but in slang, it means 'to be doing well' or 'to be cool'.
- The phrase イケメン is a linguistic hybrid, combining the Japanese verb 'iketeru' with the English loanword 'menzu' for 'men'.
- The word ハンサム is a direct loanword from the English 'handsome', but it is often perceived as more old-fashioned than the modern イケメン.
Examples in context
- トムって、イケメン？Is Tom good-looking?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is good looking.Tatoeba #8692048 by bunbuku, translation #2891478 by CK
- 隣のクラスの転校生、超イケメンだって。The transfer student in the other class is a super good-looking guy.This sentence is useful for describing a transfer student as being a super good-looking guy.Tatoeba #892992 by bunbuku, translation #893831 by Scott
- オーストラリアって、イケメンが多いと思う。I think there are a lot of good-looking men in Australia.This sentence is useful for expressing an opinion that there are many good-looking men in Australia.Tatoeba #10227980 by small_snow, translation #8440089 by CK
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a famous actor at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yuiあの俳優、すごくイケメンだね。Ano haiyu, sugoku ikemen dane.That actor is really good looking, isn't he?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、本当にイケメンだよ。Un, hontou ni ikemen dayo.Yeah, he really is good looking.
- 結衣 Yui大翔も、イケメンだしね。Hiroto mo, ikemen dashi ne.Hiroto, you're good looking too, you know.
- 大翔 Hirotoそんなことないよ。Sonna koto nai yo.That's not true.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry イケメン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries イケメン, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
