How to Say "Handsome" in Japanese

ハンサムな

hansamu na

The English phrase "handsome" can be translated into Japanese as ハンサムな (hansamu na). If unsure, use ハンサムな. Wiktionary also lists イケメンな (ikemen na).

Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)

Ways to say it

“handsome” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
ハンサムな	hansamu na
イケメンな	ikemen na

Both ハンサムな and イケメンな are used to describe a man who is attractive or good-looking.

While ハンサムな is a loanword derived from the English word "handsome", イケメンな is a common slang term used to describe a good-looking guy.

Because ハンサム is a na-adjective, it ends in だ (ハンサムだ) in its plain dictionary form.

hansamu na

In Japanese pop culture, the term イケメン is often used to categorize specific 'types' of attractive men, such as the 'salt-face' or 'sauce-face' look.
The word イケメン is a portmanteau combining イケてる, meaning 'cool' or 'hot', and メン, the English word 'men'.
While ハンサム is a direct loanword, it is actually considered quite old-fashioned or 'retro' by younger generations. If you want to sound modern, you would almost certainly use the slang term イケメン instead.

彼はハンサムな若者です。
He is a handsome young man.
This sentence shows how to use ハンサムな to describe a young man.
Tatoeba #111224 by bunbuku, translation #292460 by CC
彼、金持ちで若くてハンサムなの。
He's rich, young and handsome.
This sentence demonstrates using ハンサムな to list qualities of a person.
Tatoeba #3468424 by arnab, translation #2565997 by Hybrid
トムはハンサムな男だ。
Tom is a handsome man.
This sentence uses ハンサムな to identify a handsome man.
Tatoeba #2620395 by OrangeTart, translation #1025172 by CK
5 more sentences on Tatoeba

Ren and Himari are looking at a photo of a celebrity.

蓮 Ren

この俳優、すごくハンサムな人だね。
Kono haiyū, sugoku hansamu na hito da ne.
This actor is a very handsome person, isn't he?
陽葵 Himari

本当。顔が整っているよね。
Hontō. Kao ga tototte iru yo ne.
True. He has very balanced features.
蓮 Ren

やっぱりハンサムな人はいいな。
Yappari hansamu na hito wa ii na.
As I thought, being handsome is great.
陽葵 Himari

蓮くんも十分かっこいいよ。
Ren-kun mo jūbun kakkoii yo.
You are handsome enough too, Ren.

Sources

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