What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 너무 (neomu), meaning "too much" or "so" and 귀여워 (gwiyeowo), which is the conjugated form of 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda), meaning "to be cute".
Which one should you use?
While 너무 귀여워 is a common way to express the sentiment, you can also use 아, 완전 귀여워! or 와, 진짜 귀엽다! to mean "Ah, so cute!" in informal settings. If you want to specifically mimic the English "Aww" to express surprise or endearment, you can add 어머 (eomeo) to the start, resulting in 어머, 너무 귀여워.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a formal way to say "aww, so cute!", you can use 아, 정말 귀엽습니다! If you simply want to say "is cute" in a formal manner, use 귀엽습니다.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to people you are not close with or who are older than you, add the suffix -요 (-yo) to the end to get 너무 귀여워요. Additionally, using the dictionary form 귀엽다 in the phrase 너무 귀엽다 is a common way to express a sudden realization or a reaction to oneself, similar to saying "How cute!" to oneself. The informal form for "is cute" is 귀여워.
How do you pronounce it?
neomu gwiyeowo
Did you know?
- When Koreans find something extremely cute, they may use a slang term called 심멎 (sim-meot), which literally means 'heart-stopping'.
- In Korean culture, the concept of cuteness is often tied to aegyo, a social behavior of acting cute to show affection or get a favor.
- Koreans sometimes use the word 귀엽다 to describe small, harmless mistakes made by an adult, treating the behavior as 'cute' rather than 'wrong'.
Examples in context
- 강아지가 너무 귀여워.gang-aji-ga neomu gwiyeowo.The puppy is so cute.
- 이 아기 인형 너무 귀여워!i agi inhyeong neomu gwiyeowo!This baby doll is so cute!
- 고양이가 자는 모습이 너무 귀여워.goyangi-ga janeun moseubi neomu gwiyeowo.The cat looks so cute while sleeping.
Example conversation
Minji and Dohyeon are looking at a photo of a kitten on a phone.
- 민지 Min-ji도현아, 이 고양이 사진 좀 봐.Dohyeon-a, i go-yang-i sa-jin jom bwa.Dohyeon, look at this photo of a cat.
- 도현 Do-hyeon와, 진짜 너무 귀여워!Wa, jin-jja neomu gwi-yeo-wo!Wow, it really is so cute!
- 민지 Min-ji그치? 눈이 너무 예뻐.Geu-chi? Nun-i neomu ye-ppeo.Right? Its eyes are so pretty.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지 너도 이 사진 좋아하네.Min-ji neo-do i sa-jin jo-a-ha-ne.You like this photo too, Minji.
