イケメン

い

け

め

ん

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

good-looking guy; handsome man; hunk

usually written using kana alone

Slang term for a handsome or cool-looking man, often used casually among younger speakers. Derived from イケてる (cool/stylish) and メン (men).

Written forms

イケメンUsage98%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard and most common; the word is usually written in kana.
イケ面めんUsage2%
Kanji spelling using 面 for メン; rarely used and may not be recognized by all readers.
いけ面めん
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; very rare.

Kanji

面mask, face, features

Similar words

イケてる
イケてる means 'cool' or 'stylish' and can describe things or people, while イケメン specifically refers to a good-looking man.
美び女じょ
美女 is a more formal term for a beautiful woman, whereas イケメン is casual slang for a handsome man.

Etymology

A wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English) term combining イケてる (iketeru, 'cool/stylish') and メン (men, from English 'men'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it emerged in youth slang around the early 2000s.