イケメン
ikemen[ike̞mẽ̞ɴ]
The Japanese phrase for "hot guy" is イケメン (ikemen).
イケメン is used to describe a man who is physically attractive or handsome. While it primarily refers to physical looks, it is also frequently used to describe a man with a cool or charismatic personality.
Which one should you use?
Other informal options include カッコいい男, which describes a cool and attractive guy, モテ男, which literally means "popular guy" and describes someone who attracts a lot of attention from the opposite sex due to their attractive looks and イケてる男, which conveys a sense of being both "cool" and "hot" at the same time.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
イケメン is widely used in casual conversation and pop culture, but it is too informal for professional or highly polite settings.
How do you pronounce it?
ikemen
Did you know?
- Japanese magazines often categorize イケメン into specific types, such as the 'salt-faced' guy, referring to a subtle and pale beauty rather than bold features.
- In Japanese pop culture, the term イケメン can be used to describe a male character in a manga or anime even if they are not human, such as a handsome demon or robot.
- The term イケてる (iketeru), which forms the root of イケメン, originally comes from the verb イケる (ikeru), meaning 'to be good' or 'to work'.
Examples in context
- あのイケメン、声もカッコいいよね。That hot guy has a cool voice too, right?
- 関西に行ったら、カッチョイイ男がたくさんいるよ！When you go to Kansai, you'll find plenty of good-looking guys!
- 彼は本当にイケメンだ。Kare wa hontou ni ikemen da.He is really a hot guy.
- あのイケメンは誰ですか？Ano ikemen wa dare desu ka?Who is that hot guy?
- 田中さんはイケメンですね。Tanaka-san wa ikemen desu ne.Mr. Tanaka is a handsome guy, isn't he?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry イケメン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
