可愛くない？
kawaikunai?
The English phrase "isn't it cute?" is translated into Japanese as 可愛くない？ (kawaikunai?)
A question used to ask for agreement that something is cute.
Which one should you use?
While 可愛くない？ is a casual way to seek agreement, かわいいね is an informal way to say "Isn't it cute?" For more polite or refined contexts, you may use かわいいですね, a standard and polite way to say "Isn't it cute?" or the more refined 可愛らしいですね, which emphasizes that something is lovely or charming.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make this negative form polite, you can add ですか to the end, resulting in 可愛くないですか？
How do you pronounce it?
kawaikunai?
Did you know?
- The word かわいい (kawaii) is thought by some linguists to have originated from the word かわゆい (kawayui), which meant 'to be pitiable' or 'to arouse sympathy'.
- In Japanese pop culture, 'cuteness' is not just an adjective but a major aesthetic philosophy called 'kawaii culture', which influences everything from fashion to high-end electronics.
- While 可愛くない？ literally means 'is it not cute?', using the negative to ask for agreement is a common linguistic strategy in Japanese to sound less aggressive and more tentative.
Examples in context
- その子犬はとてもかわいいですね。That puppy is so adorable, isn't it?
- このぬいぐるみはとてもかわいいですね。This stuffed animal is really cute, isn't it?
- あの赤ちゃんは可愛らしいですね。That baby is adorable, isn't he/she?
- この花は可愛らしいですね。This flower is lovely, isn't it?
- あの子猫、かわいいね。That kitten is cute, isn't it?
- このTシャツ、かわいいね。This T-shirt is cute, isn't it?
- この子供、めっちゃ可愛いでしょ。This kid is super cute, right?
- このパンダ、めっちゃ可愛いでしょ。This panda is extremely cute, don't you think?
- このぬいぐるみ、可愛くない？Kono nuigurumi, kawaikunai?This stuffed animal, isn't it cute?
- あの子の服、可愛くない？Ano ko no fuku, kawaikunai?That kid's clothes, aren't they cute?
- 新しい靴、可愛くない？Atarashii kutsu, kawaikunai?These new shoes, aren't they cute?
Example conversation
A girl shows a photo of a cat to her brother.
- 陽葵 Himari見て、この猫、可愛くない？Mite, kono neko, kawaikunai?Look, isn't this cat cute?
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、すごく可愛いね。Hontou da, sugoku kawaii ne.True, it's really cute.
- 陽葵 Himariずっと見ていられるよ。Zutto mite irareru yo.I could look at it forever.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵は猫が好きなんだね。Himari wa neko ga suki nanda ne.You really love cats, Himari.
