mooi
/moːi̯/
The Dutch word for "pretty" is mooi.
mooi is an adjective used to describe something or someone as pleasant or attractive, particularly when referring to women and children. While it translates to "pretty", it is very common in Dutch to use it to mean "beautiful" when describing people, objects or landscapes.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
Although mooi can mean "pretty", it is more frequently used to mean "beautiful" and has a broader application to objects and landscapes than the English word "pretty". If you want to say someone is "pretty" in terms of having a pleasant personality rather than physical looks, use aardig instead. Additionally, when you want to express the adverbial sense of "somewhat", you can use the related words tamelijk, aardig or best.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express degrees of attractiveness, use the comparative form mooier for "prettier" and the superlative form mooiste for "prettiest".
How do you pronounce it?
/moːi̯/
Did you know?
- In Dutch, the word mooi can be used sarcastically in the phrase mooi zo, which actually means 'just great' or 'typical' when something goes wrong.
- The word mooi might be distantly related to the concept of being 'clean' or 'washed', originating from a root meaning 'to wet'.
- Dutch speakers use mooi to describe a 'beautiful' goal in football, whereas English speakers often prefer the word 'great' or 'fantastic'.
Examples in context
- Mijn zus is mooi.My sister is pretty.This sentence is useful for using mooi to describe a person.Tatoeba #822094 by Citrine, translation #251899 by CK
- Ik ben niet mooi.I'm not pretty.This sentence is useful for using mooi in a negative context.Tatoeba #4215604 by megamanenm, translation #4214752 by geebee60
- Mary is erg mooi.Mary is really pretty.This sentence is useful for using mooi with an intensifier.Tatoeba #7953522 by Elsofie, translation #3370779 by CK
- Hij heeft een mooi gezichtHe has a beautiful face
- Wat een prachtige bloemen!What beautiful flowers!
- Ze is een beeldschone vrouwShe is a stunning woman
- Die acteur is echt knap!That actor is really handsome!
- Wat een lekker jurkje heb je aan!What a pretty dress you're wearing!
- 85 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Noah are looking at a photo of a young girl.
- JuliaWat een mooi meisje!What a pretty girl!
- NoahJa, ze is echt mooi.Yes, she is really pretty.
- JuliaZe lacht heel lief.She smiles very sweetly.
- NoahDat klopt, ze is een prachtig kind.That's true, she is a beautiful child.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pretty” translations and entries mooi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mooi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
