kawaii en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /kəˈwaɪ.i/
- /kəˈwaɪ/
- (US) audio
- /kɑːwɑːˈiː/ emulating Japanese
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 可愛(かわい)い (kawaii, “lovable; adorable; cute”).
Meanings
-
(in the context of Japanese culture) Cute, adorable.
The female has been reduced to a manageable, nonthreatening form. As we've mentioned, the cyborgs are depicted with typically kawaii features, such as disproportionately large eyes and heads, and thin bodies. Each girl is dressed by her handler in keeping with a particular style. For example, Triela often wears a masculine pants suit […]
2010, Josef Steiff, Tristan D. Tamplin, Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder, Open Court, →ISBN:In the advanced information society of the 21st century with its communication infrastructure of computers and networks, it is crucial to enhance software that utilizes these technologies, that is, digital content. Among such content, various Japanese kawaii characters such as Hello Kitty and Pokemon have become […]
2016, Gavriel Salvendy, Waldemar Karwowski, Advances in Cognitive Ergonomics, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 136:However, Wong's connection to kawaii culture, which I have attempted to establish here, suggests a different reading of his films. As Larissa Hjorth has argued, “The kawaii is not about post-humanism but rather a clear demonstration of neo-humanist types” (144). In this sense, East Asian kawaii culture, like Wong's films, should be understood as desperate attempts to create a dreamlike humanist space within the harsh reality of globalized capitalism.
2010, Susan Cahill, Emma Hegarty, Emilie Moran, Waste and Abundance: The Measure of Consumption: Special Issue of SubStance, Issue 116, 37:2 (2008), University of Wisconsin Press, →ISBN, page 106:She bought a kawaii keychain shaped like a kitten.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more kawaii | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most kawaii | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
ero kawaii · kawaiily · kawaiiness
Translations (31)
yue 可愛 /可爱 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · fr kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · mr कावाई (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ja 可愛い (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ko 카와이 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · he קאוואיי (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · cmn 可愛 /可爱 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · hi कावाई (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ar كَاوَايّ (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · fr kawaï (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · th คะวะอี (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · es kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ar كَاوَايِيّ (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · hu kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ko 가와이 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ka კავაიი (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ru кава́йный (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · hu kavaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · pt kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · yue 卡哇伊 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · as কাৱাইই (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · cmn 卡哇伊 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · it kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · ru каваи́й (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · hu kavaí (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · pl kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · eo kavaja (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · io kawaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · hak 卡哇伊 (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · eo kaŭaii (cute, in the context of Japanese culture) · uk кава́йний (cute, in the context of Japanese culture)