かわいい男の子
kawaii otokonoko
The English phrase "cute boy" is translated into Japanese as かわいい男の子 (kawaii otokonoko).
This phrase refers to a young male child who is attractive or endearing in a sweet way. You can also say とてもかわいい男の子 to mean "very cute boy".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective かわいい (kawaii) meaning "cute" and the noun 男の子 (otokonoko) meaning "boy".
Which one should you use?
While the phrase is often written in hiragana as かわいい男の子, it is also common to use the kanji 可愛い for the word "cute", resulting in 可愛い男の子.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective かわいい is an i-adjective and directly precedes the noun without needing any particles like no to connect them.
How do you pronounce it?
kawaii otokonoko
Did you know?
- While かわいい means 'cute' today, its historical roots in the word かわゆし actually implied a sense of 'pitiful' or 'helpless', a feeling of wanting to protect something vulnerable.
- A 'cute boy' is often a target of 萌え (moe) culture, a term used by fans to describe an intense, protective feeling of affection toward characters.
- In Japanese pop culture, a 'cute boy' might be described as イケメン (ikemen), which refers more to a 'cool' or 'handsome' aesthetic rather than the 'sweet' quality of かわいい.
Examples in context
- この可愛い少年は誰ですか？Who is this cute boy?
- あそこに、かわいい男の子がいます。Asoko ni, kawaii otokonoko ga imasu.There is a cute boy over there.
- 彼はとてもかわいい男の子ですね。Kare wa totemo kawaii otokonoko desu ne.He is a very cute boy, isn't he?
- かわいい男の子が公園で遊んでいます。Kawaii otokonoko ga kouen de asonde imasu.A cute boy is playing in the park.
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are looking at a photo of Misaki's nephew.
- 美咲 Misaki見て、私の甥っ子です。Mite, watashi no oikko desu.Look, this is my nephew.
- 健太 Kentaわあ、かわいい男の子だね！Waa, kawaii otoko no ko da ne!Wow, he's a cute boy!
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
- 健太 Kentaあなたに似ていますね。Anata ni nite imasu ne.He looks like you.
