What does menkui mean in Japanese? 面食い？
There are people in Japan who have the character of “menkui（面食い）”.
In fact, there are many such people not only in Japan but around the world.
Because it is natural.
Let’s take a closer look at what “menkui” is.
What does “menkui” mean?
The word “menkui（面食い）” means someone who only likes pretty faces, or who goes for good-looking faces.
There are such people all over the world, right?
Looking at the meaning of the characters contained in “menkui”;
“Men（面）” = face
“Kui（喰い）” = Eating
That means “eating face”, isn’t that an understandable combination?
“Menkui” people choose not only beautiful people as partners but also their friends.
Also, as a characteristic of menkui people, they tend to easily forgive good-looking people because they are only beautiful, even though they have bad personalities.
Example using “mennkui”
· Kanojo wa menkui da.
彼女（かのじょ） は 面食（めんく）い だ。
She goes for only good-looking men.
· Mae wa menkui desita ga, saikin wa soudemo arimasen.
前 （まえ）は 面食（めんく）い でした が、最近（さいきん）は そうでも ありません。
I used to be only interested in good-looking girls, but I am not recently.
· B san mitai na hito, suki deshou? Datte menkui damon ne!
Bさんみたない 人（ひと）、 好（す）きでしょう？だって 面食（めんく）い だもんね！
You like a guy like B-san, don’t you? Because you like a good-looking man!
The origin of “menkui”
The word “menkui” comes from “eating” the “face”.
It is based on how they like to eat food.
It is said that this word began to be used from the Meiji period.
At the beginning of the Meiji period, Taisei Hokan was carried out.
Then, the status of citizens which had been divided into four classes (士農工商 (shi-nou-kou-shou)：士 shi (samurai), 農 nou (peasant), 工 kou (engineer), 商 shou (merchant) until then, became all equal.
Because of the class system, they could not choose their favorite person to get married. However, in a new era, it started to allow them to choose someone they like (even a face).
It is said that such a state had begun to be called “menkui”.
