媠
súi
The Hokkien word for pretty is 媠 (súi).
媠 is an adjective meaning pleasant or attractive. While it is primarily used to describe people, especially women and children, it can also be used to describe objects or scenery that are beautiful or aesthetically pleasing.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is súi.
Did you know?
- While 媠 describes beauty, Hokkien has a distinct way of praising children called 'inverted praise' where parents call a child 'ugly' to ward off evil spirits.
- In Hokkien, the word 媠 is used as a slang term to describe something that is 'smooth', 'perfect' or 'successfully handled' regardless of visual beauty.
- The character 媠 is a specialized character for Hokkien and is not commonly used in Standard Mandarin, where the word 美 or 漂亮 is preferred.
Examples in context
- 伊真媠。i chin suí.She is very pretty.
- 伊的衫真媠。i ê saⁿ chin suí.Her clothes are very pretty.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are looking at a photo of a child.
- 美玲 Mei-ling這个囡仔真媠。chit ge gín-á chin suí.This child is very pretty.
- 國強 Kok-kiang伊是你的姪女。i sī lí ê ti̍t-lú.She is your niece.
- 美玲 Mei-ling伊真媠，真可愛。i chin suí, chin khò͘-ài.She is so pretty and cute.
- 國強 Kok-kiang是啊，伊真媠。siā-ah, i chin suí.Yes, she is very pretty.
