Joli

Joli is a French adjective meaning pretty, attractive, or pleasing. It is used to describe people, objects, or situations that are aesthetically appealing or agreeable. The masculine singular form is joli; the feminine singular form is jolie. In the plural, the forms are jolis (masc) and jolies (fem). The adjective can appear before or after the noun, although it commonly comes before the noun when a concise sense of charm is intended, as in un joli garçon or une jolie fleur, and it can also appear after the noun in standard descriptive phrases, as in un garçon joli.

As with most French adjectives, joli agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Examples include un joli appartement (a pretty apartment), une jolie voiture (a pretty car), and des jolis paysages (pretty landscapes). The phrase c’est joli translates to “it’s pretty” or “that’s nice.”

In usage, joli often conveys a pleasant, charming, or tasteful quality rather than grandeur or formality. It can be used for immediate, everyday appeal rather than artistic or monumental beauty. There are related terms such as beau/belle for more formal or traditional beauty, and mignon for small or endearing quality, depending on context.

Pronunciation in French is roughly as two syllables: /ʒɔ.li/. The word is widely understood in French-speaking contexts and appears in literature, conversation, and media.