Word
kawaii
/kəˈwaɪi/
Definition
adj. describing something that is very cute, charming, or sweet. You use this word to talk about things like toys, fashion, or characters that look innocent and lovable.
adj. relating to a Japanese aesthetic and cultural style that emphasizes cuteness, charm, and vulnerability. Often used to describe visual media, fashion, or consumer products characterized by rounded shapes and bright colors.
Examples
“She loves wearing kawaii accessories like pink bows and cat ears.”
“The marketing team decided to use a kawaii mascot to make the new brand feel more approachable and friendly to young consumers.”
“While originally a niche subculture in Japan, the kawaii aesthetic has become a global phenomenon, influencing everything from high fashion to digital interface design through its focus on endearing simplicity.”
Examples
simple
“She loves wearing kawaii accessories like pink bows and cat ears.”
contextual
“The marketing team decided to use a kawaii mascot to make the new brand feel more approachable and friendly to young consumers.”
complex
“While originally a niche subculture in Japan, the kawaii aesthetic has become a global phenomenon, influencing everything from high fashion to digital interface design through its focus on endearing simplicity.”
Usage
Borrowed from Japanese; typically used as a predicative or attributive adjective.
Real-World Examples
“The remainder of the shop features stationery, gifts, and home goods, all infused with "kawaii," a Japanese term for cuteness.” “Tumblr, along with anime and manga before it, contributed to the cross-cultural spread of kawaii aesthetics (kawaii means cute in Japanese and includes icons like Hello Kitty and sailor cosplay).” “Following the economic boom, kawaii — characterized as something both endearing and pitiable, or lovable due to its naivety in the face of larger forces — provided comfort and a distraction from unfulfilled aspirations for change.” “The word kawaii, meaning cute or adorable, became central to a certain strand of Japanese culture in the 1980s, as changes in the social and political climate stripped conventional father figures of the authority they had possessed until the 1960s.” Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 可愛(かわい)い (kawaii, “lovable; adorable; cute”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.