mrembo
mrembo is the Swahili word for cute.
The term is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is attractive or pleasing in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way.
Meaning: attractive or pleasing in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way (adj)
Did you know?
- Unlike the English word 'cute', which is frequently used for animals or babies, mrembo is almost exclusively reserved for people, particularly women.
- In some East African urban contexts, mrembo is used as a casual, flirtatious greeting to a woman, similar to saying 'hey gorgeous'.
- The prefix 'm-' in mrembo is a noun-forming class marker. This means that while it functions as an adjective in English, in Swahili it structurally refers to 'a beautiful person'.
Examples in context
- Nilidhani alikuwa mrembo.I thought he was kinda cute.This sentence is useful for showing how to express a past thought regarding someone being mrembo.Tatoeba #10881178 by ecorralest101, translation #6005158 by Hybrid
- Yule binti ni mrembo sana.That girl is very cute/beautiful.
Example conversation
Zuwena shows Omari a photo of her new puppy.
- ZuwenaTazama picha ya mbwa wangu.Look at the photo of my dog.
- OmariWow, mbwa huyu ni mrembo!Wow, this dog is cute!
- ZuwenaKwani ni mdogo sana.Because he is very small.
- OmariNampenda sana.I love him so much.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
