漂亮 is used to describe a woman's appearance. In some cases, it can be used to describe objects and phenomena. For example: nature, clothes and places.
Examples
非常漂亮的姑娘
A very beautiful girl
fēicháng piàoliang de gūniáng
她化着亮妆,穿戴漂亮
She wears bright make-up and dresses beautifully
tā huàzhe liàng zhuāng, chuāndài piàoliang
那件连衣裙很漂亮
That dress is very beautiful
nà jiàn liányīqún hěn piàoliang
The word 美
美 can serve as both an adjective and a noun.
美 as an adjective
Has the following two meanings:
1) "beautiful".
It is most commonly used to describe objects and phenomena. For example: a place, a voice, nature, color. In rare cases, it is used to describe a woman's appearance.
Examples
我们的城市看起来挺美
Our city looks beautiful
wǒmen de chéngshì kànqǐlái tǐng měi
她的歌声很美,但没有感情
She sings beautifully, but without feeling
tā de gēshēng hěn měi, dàn méiyǒu gǎnqíng
她很美,颧骨高高的
She is very pretty. She has high cheekbones
tā hěn měi, quángǔ gāogao de
2) "very satisfactory", "good".
In this meaning, 美 is used with words such as taste, price, dream, and life.
Examples
苹果产自新疆,味道很美
Apples from Xinjiang are very tasty
píngguǒ chǎn zì xīnjiāng, wèidào hěn měi
我日子挺美的
I’m having a wonderful day
wǒ rìzi tǐng měi de
美 as a noun
Has the meaning "beauty".
Examples
美是个人的主观感受
Beauty is subjective
měi shì gèrén de zhǔguān gǎnshòu
内在美和外在美
Inner beauty and outer beauty
nèizài měi hé wàizài měi
Pay attention
Remember the noun:
美女 .
You can use it to address someone.