彼は可愛い
kare wa kawaii
The English phrase "he is cute" is translated into Japanese as 彼は可愛い (kare wa kawaii).
This phrase is used to describe a male person who is attractive in a sweet or endearing way. To emphasize that someone is very cute in an informal setting, you can say 彼はすごく可愛い！ Among younger generations, it is common to use the expression 彼、超カワイイ！ to mean someone is super or extremely cute.
Which one should you use?
While 可愛い (kawaii) implies a sweet or endearing cuteness, the term 彼はイケメンだ is used to describe a man who is conventionally handsome or "cool".
How do you pronounce it?
kare wa kawaii
Did you know?
- The concept of 可愛い can be used to describe a 'gap' in personality, such as when a stern man does something unexpectedly sweet, known as ギャップ萌え (gap moe).
- While 可愛い (kawaii) refers to cuteness, the term イケメン (ikemen) used for handsome men is a portmanteau of いける (ikeru), meaning 'good' or 'fine', and メン (men), the English word for 'men'.
- The word 可愛い originates from the root 可愛, which literally translates to 'worthy of being loved'.
Examples in context
- 彼は可愛いですよ。笑顔がとても素敵です。He is cute. His smile is very lovely.
- この写真の彼はすごく可愛い！The guy in this picture is super cute!
- 彼は可愛いですね。Kare wa kawaii desu ne.He is cute, isn't he?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about a male friend.
- 蓮 Renこの写真の彼、どう思う？Kono shashin no kare, dou omou?What do you think of him in this photo?
- 美咲 Misaki彼は可愛いね！Kare wa kawaii ne!He is cute!
- 蓮 Renでしょ？性格もいいんだよ。Desho? Seikaku mo ii nda yo.Right? He has a great personality too.
- 美咲 Misakiいい人がいそうね。Ii hito ga isou ne.He seems like a nice person.
