凯蒂猫
Kǎidì Māo
The name of the fictional character and global brand Hello Kitty in Chinese is 凯蒂猫 (Kǎidì Māo).
凯蒂猫 is used to refer to the character featuring a white cat with a red bow. In many Chinese-speaking contexts, particularly in marketing or among younger generations, the English name 'Hello Kitty' is used directly instead of the transliterated version.
What does it mean word for word?
The name is a phonetic transliteration of 'Kitty' (凯蒂) followed by the word for cat (猫), making it literally 'Kitty Cat'.
How do you pronounce it?
Kǎidì Māo
Did you know?
- Counterfeit 凯蒂猫 products are often referred to as 山寨 'shānzhài', a term that originally referred to remote hill fortresses used by rebels.
- To describe the irresistible cuteness of 凯蒂猫, people often use the word 萌 'méng', which describes a specific type of 'cute' that makes you want to protect it.
- Adult fans of the brand often use the phrase 少女心 'shàonǚ xīn', literally 'young girl's heart', to describe their passion for the character.
Examples in context
- 我有一只凯蒂猫玩偶。Wǒ yǒu yī zhī Kǎidìmāo wán'ǒu.I have a Hello Kitty plushie.
- 那个女孩很喜欢凯蒂猫。Nàge nǚhái hěn xǐhuān Kǎidìmāo.That girl likes Hello Kitty very much.
- 这是凯蒂猫的贴纸。Zhè shì Kǎidìmāo de tiēzhǐ.This is a Hello Kitty sticker.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a collection of stationery in a gift shop.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你看，这个本子上有凯蒂猫。Nǐ kàn, zhège běnzi shàng yǒu Kǎidìmāo.Look, there is Hello Kitty on this notebook.
- 志强 Zhiqiang确实很可爱。Quèshí hěn kě'ài.It really is very cute.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你想买吗？Nǐ xiǎng mǎi ma?Do you want to buy it?
- 志强 Zhiqiang不用了，谢谢。Bùyòng le, xièxiè.No thanks.
