ハローキティ
Harō Kiti
Hello Kitty in Japanese is ハローキティ (Harō Kiti).
ハローキティ is the name of the famous fictional white cat character created by the Japanese company Sanrio.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Okinawa, a regional variation はいさいキティ (Haisai Kiti) is used. This is related to the Okinawan greeting はいさい (Haisai), which means "hello" or "good day".
How do you pronounce it?
Harō Kiti
Did you know?
- While the character is a cat, Sanrio has stated that she is actually a anthropomorphic girl and not a feline. This is why she is often referred to as a character rather than an animal.
- The name ハローキティ is written entirely in Katakana, the Japanese script used for foreign loanwords. This signals to Japanese readers that the name is a transliteration of English rather than native Japanese words.
- While ハローキティ uses an English greeting, it is common in Japan to see her associated with the word kawaii, a term for 'cute' that has become a global cultural export.
Examples in context
- ハローキティはとてもかわいいです。Harō Kiti wa totemo kawaii desu.Hello Kitty is very cute.
- これはハローキティのシールです。Kore wa Harō Kiti no shīru desu.This is a Hello Kitty sticker.
- ハローキティのポーチを買いました。Harō Kiti no pōchi o kaimashita.I bought a Hello Kitty pouch.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are looking at a gift shop.
- 結衣 Yui見て、可愛いハローキティがあるよ！Mite, kawaii Harō Kiti ga aru yo!Look, there is a cute Hello Kitty!
- 健太 Kenta本当だ。誰にプレゼントするの？Hontō da. Dare ni purezento suru no?You're right. Who are you giving it to?
- 結衣 Yui妹にハローキティをあげたいな。Imōto ni Harō Kiti oagetai na.I want to give Hello Kitty to my younger sister.
- 健太 Kentaきっと喜ぶと思うよ。Kitto yorokobu to omou yo.I'm sure she will be happy.
