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I want to tell someone that they "looked cool" today.
Normally I would write: "今日OOさんはかっこよかった！"
But I don't want to mean just that they are cool more specifically I mean their outfit and styling.
Would "今日OOさんはかっこいい見えました！" work better for this feeling?

Thanks!

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    Maybe the word 似合う is what you are looking for? But I don't think かっこいい is terribly off either.
    – oals
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:34
  • Are you set on the word かっこいい? There are other words that might help depending on the person and your relationship to them?
    – istrasci
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:36
  • @oals I don't want to use 似合う in this context because it's not a new style for the person and they are not asking advice or for a comment on their style so I believed かっこいい would be good here.
    – user14259
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:42
  • @istrasci I'm not set on かっこいい but that seems to be best for the situation I think. My main question is on using 見える in this context? It's commenting to a small time musician(so fan comment but doesn't need to be too formal) but the comment isn't on a specific post about their outfit it's a post about an event. I want to add to my comment about how I also thought they looked cool today so thought 見える would differentiate between their actions in the event and their outfit/style.
    – user14259
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:48
  • I'm guessing おしゃれ "stylish" might also work instead of かっこいい but I'm mainly unsure of the need for 見えました to focus the meaning on the outfit/style instead of actions.
    – user14259
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:51

3 Answers 3

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I think the issue here is that you are explicitly trying to map the English word "look(ed)" into a Japanese verb, when you don't really need to. Learn to think in Japanese, don't (always) try to translate your thoughts from English.

So instead of trying to find a verb, you can just say that their clothes/style/whatever were cool.

  • 今日〇〇さんの(服・髪型)はかっこよかった！
  • 今日の(ファッション・スタイル)すごいよかったね！
  • 今日はめっちゃ(スマートな・おしゃれな)服だったね！

If you really want to use 見える, the correct grammar would be かっこよく見えた. But to me 1) that feels like something you just wouldn't say to someone, and 2) かっこいい and 見える are like different levels of familiarity, so I don't know that they'd be used together, even if talking about the person to someone else.

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  • I see! This makes a lot of sense! Thank you! I'm always trying to "think in Japanese" but sometimes with unfamiliar situations I tend to be a bit literal in working my sentence together. Thanks for the advice!
    – user14259
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:55
  • 服だったね maybe better than 服着たんだ.
    – broccoli forest
    Apr 25, 2016 at 17:59
  • Sorry, one question. Is it ok to use "スタイル" connected like this: "今日, 〇〇さんのスタイルはかっこよかった！" ? Since I'm talking about the whole look not just clothes I'd like to use スタイル I think but actually haven't used it before in this kind of context so am unsure if it's natural to use it this way?
    – user14259
    Apr 25, 2016 at 18:13
  • ^ It sounds fine! ☻　You can also use キマってたね！
    – chocolate ♦
    Apr 26, 2016 at 5:46
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Here is a reference going in the opposite direction J->E, about how to translating すてきなかっこう（素敵な格好）(suteki na kakkou) as "Nice look!/I like your outfit!" http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2013/06/13/123/

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I think いい格好してました would do the trick.

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    No, いい格好する means "act cool", "pretend to be cool" or such things, if used alone.
    – broccoli forest
    Apr 26, 2016 at 16:48
  • @broccoliforest Pretend to be cool is 格好つける. いい格好する does not mean "act" cool, which again is closer to 格好つける. Said in the context of OP it's a compliment saying they looked good/cool, and if partnered with body language should be enough for the conversion partner to realise it's a specific compliment. OP could also just be specific about what he's complimenting.
    – Ricky
    Apr 30, 2016 at 9:18
  • You probably mean いい格好でした, because いい格好（を）する is almost an idiom understood as that meaning.
    – broccoli forest
    Apr 30, 2016 at 11:57
  • @broccoliforest Thanks, looked into this further and besides minor exceptions it seems that what you say is mostly correct. I guess then OP should just say 今日の服かっこいいですね or something simple like that
    – Ricky
    Apr 30, 2016 at 12:36

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