美 měi — America; beautiful
她有一双美丽的眼睛。Tā yǒu yì shuāng měi lì de yǎn jing.She has a pair of beautiful eyes.
Common words: 美元 (měi yuán)、美丽 (měi lì)、完美 (wán měi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "beautiful"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "beautiful", including 美 (měi), 丽 (lí / lì), 琼 (qióng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "beautiful" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 美 (měi), 丽 (lí / lì), 琼 (qióng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span měi, lí, lì, qióng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 美 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 美 měiAmerica; beautifulUseful words: 美元, 美丽
- 丽 lí / lìKorea; beautifulUseful words: 美丽, 华丽
- 琼 qióng(red stone); beautifulUseful words: 琼脂, 琼楼玉宇
Common words for these 3 "beautiful" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 美 (měi) — so "beautiful" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "beautiful".
丽 lí / lì — Korea; beautiful
公园里的花开得十分美丽。Gōng yuán lǐ de huā kāi de shí fēn měi lì.The flowers in the park are blooming very beautifully.
Common words: 美丽 (měi lì)、华丽 (huá lì)、壮丽 (zhuàng lì)
琼 qióng — (red stone); beautiful
“琼浆玉液”用来形容十分美味的饮品。“Qióng jiāng yù yè” yòng lái xíng róng shí fēn měi wèi de yǐn pǐn.The phrase nectar and jade liquid describes a very delicious drink.
Common words: 琼脂 (qióng zhī)、琼楼玉宇 (qióng lóu yù yǔ)、仙山琼阁 (xiān shān qióng gé)
All 3 characters
Open 美、丽、琼 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.