The word ‘beautiful’ can be used to describe such a wide variety of things. From people, to places, music and poetry, beautiful is one of the most versatile words in any language. This makes it an important word to know in any country your travel to or live in. So how do you say beautiful in Dutch?
The Dutch translation of beautiful is mooi and the Dutch word for beauty is schoonheid. In the Dutch language, single words are used to describe multitudes of different levels of beauty. Their translations are many as it serves as the Dutch translation for many English synonyms for beauty. You’ll see what we mean below!
In a way, having largely one way to describe beautiful things can be useful, especially to new language learners, but it’s also frustrating. It makes it difficult to translate and know the exact inferred meaning. Did they mean something was stunning, cute, or lovely? On a scale from 1 to 100, what level of beauty is being described?
In most cases, it will be up to you to use context to infer which version of ‘beautiful’ is being implied.
So, what are the different ways to describe something beautiful in Dutch?
Dutch Words And Phrases To Describe Beauty
Here is a list of related words to beautiful in Dutch. You’ll notice what I was hinting at above, that words in Dutch to describe beauty have the same or similar synonyms making it difficult to know when to use which!
| English | Dutch | Pronunciation |
| Beautiful, brilliant | fonkelend | |
| Beautiful, brilliant | glinsterend | |
| Beautiful, brilliant | schitterend | |
| Beautiful, handsome, pretty | bevallig | |
| Beautiful. handsome, pretty | welgemaakt | |
| Handsome, pretty | schoon | |
| Beautiful, lovely, pretty, charming, good looking, handsome | fraai | |
| Attractive | attractief | |
| Beautiful, lovely, pretty, charming, good looking, handsome | welgevallig | |
| Beautiful, lovely, pretty, charming, good looking, handsome | goed ogend | |
| Beautiful, lovely, pretty, charming, good looking, handsome | knap | |
| Beautiful, lovely, pretty, charming, good looking, handsome | mooi | |
| Fine, nice, delicate, small, refined | fijn | |
| Good-looking | goeduitziend | |
| Nice looking | goed uitziend | |
| Nice looking | aardig uitziend | |
| Adorable | aanbiddelijk | |
| Adorable | aanbiddenswaardig | |
| Adorable | liefelijk |
Other Examples And Translations Of Beautiful In Dutch
You may find these other translations and superlatives helpful when describing the beauty of people, places, or things. To learn how to use these words and phrases properly, head over to read and learn about Dutch sentence structure.
| English | Dutch | Pronunciation |
| The most beautiful | de mooiste | |
| Simply beautiful | gewoon mooi | |
| More beautiful | mooier | |
| Most beautiful | mooiste | |
| Very beautiful | erg mooi | |
| Exceptionally beautiful, wonderful | wonderschoon | |
| Captivating | boeiende | |
| Captivating | bekoorlijk | |
| Exceptionally beautiful, beautiful, wonderful | beeldschoon | |
| Elegant | elegant | |
| Delightful | verrukkelijk | |
| Appealing | ontvoerend | |
| Gorgeous | heerlijk |
How To Say “You Are Beautiful” In Dutch
You may have met a beautiful woman and you can’t help yourself with wanting to share how beautiful she is with the world! You may even wish to tell the lovely woman herself.
Before doing so, be aware that there are formal and informal pronouns for ‘you’ in Dutch, so you’ll want to make sure you’re using the correct one, otherwise your compliment may not turn out as you hope.
The pronouns for you in Dutch are:
- you (informal singular) jij/ji
- you (formal singular) u
The formal u should be used with those older than you (be careful with this one! You don’t want to offend a younger woman by using u, do you?) and with those who are in important professions or positions in society.
So let’s get to the goods, how do you tell someone they’re beautiful in Dutch?
You are beautiful
- Jij bent mooi (informal)
- u bent mooi (formal)
- Ge zijt mooi
- Jullie zijn mooi
Now, maybe you’re keeping your opinion or compliment to yourself or you’d prefer to express your thoughts to friends. Here are ways you can talk about the beauty of others in Dutch.
| English | Dutch | Pronunciation |
| She is beautiful/pretty Zij is mooi | Zij is mooi | |
| She’s as beautiful as…. Ze is zo mooi als … | Ze is zo mooi als … | |
| (insert person’s name) is beautiful | …. is mooi | |
| How beautiful! | Wat mooi! | |
| She is cute | Ze is schattig |
It may also be useful in these kinds of situations to know how to introduce yourself in Dutch, especially if you’re talking to someone for the first time.
How to Say “You Are Handsome” in Dutch
There are some very handsome men out there in the world and you may wish to express their good looks! Here is how you can tell a guy he’s good-looking in Dutch (the same pronoun rules apply).
You’re handsome / You’re good looking
Je bent knap (informal)
u bent knap (formal)
You look handsome / You look good
Je ziet er goed uit (informal)
u ziet er goed uit (formal)
Sentences That Use Beautiful In Dutch
Here are some sentences that use the adjective ‘beautiful’ that will help you describe the weather, music, objects and people.
| English | Dutch | Pronunciation |
| Such beautiful music | Zulke mooie muziek | |
| The music sounds beautiful | De muziek klinkt prachtig | |
| What a beautiful day | Wat een mooie dag | |
| Your coat is very beautiful | Je mantel is heel mooi | |
| How beautiful a sunrise is! | Hoe mooi is toch een zonsopgang! | |
| Today the weather is nice / The weather is beautiful today Het is mooi weer vandaag | Het is mooi weer vandaag | |
| Life is beautiful | Het leven is mooi | |
| Your sister is beautiful as ever Uw zuster is mooi als altijd | Uw zuster is mooi als altijd | |
| The flowers are very beautiful de bloemen zijn erg mooi | de bloemen zijn erg mooi |
Beautiful Sure Is A Beautiful Adjective!
Take some time to study these translations of words and phrases in Dutch to describe beauty, and in no time you’ll understand the meaning behind these words and know when to use each adjective.
Oh and if you’re wondering (which I bet you are!) here’s how you say ugly in Dutch:
Ugly – lelijk
Hopefully, you won’t have to use this word too often, but it’s handy to know.
As you also know, there are a multitude of ways to express and describe beauty. To really learn the ins and outs of describing beauty in The Netherlands, it’s best to study daily and we know just the app to help you!
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