可愛い女の子
kawaii onnanoko
The English phrase 'pretty girl' can be translated into Japanese as 可愛い女の子 (kawaii onnanoko).
The phrase 可愛い女の子 is used to describe a girl who is attractive or cute in appearance. It is commonly used in casual conversation, anime or media to describe a young female character or person who is aesthetically pleasing.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective 'kawaii' (cute/pretty) and the noun 'onnanoko' (girl).
Which one should you use?
While 可愛い女の子 emphasizes cuteness or charm, 美人 is used to describe a woman with classical, sophisticated beauty. Other variations include きれいな女の子 for a beautiful girl and かわいい子 for a cute girl.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this phrase as a subject in a sentence, you typically follow it with the topic marker particle 'wa' or the subject marker 'ga'.
How do you pronounce it?
kawaii onnanoko
Did you know?
- The word 可愛い (kawaii) is thought by some linguists to stem from the classical word kawaisou, which originally meant 'pitiful' or 'pathetic'.
- In Japanese subcultures, the term 'kawaii' has evolved into many specific niches, such as 'guro-kawaii', which describes a style that is simultaneously 'cute' and 'grotesque'.
- The kanji for kawaii (可愛い) literally means 'able to be loved', focusing on the emotion the person evokes rather than their physical features.
Examples in context
- 可憐な女の子が花を持っています。The delicate girl is holding a flower.
- あのかわいい子は誰ですか？Who is that cute girl?
- 昨日、きれいな女の子と話しました。I spoke with a beautiful girl yesterday.
- あそこに可愛い女の子がいます。Asoko ni kawaii onnanoko ga imasu.There is a pretty girl over there.
- 彼女はとても可愛い女の子ですね。Kanojo wa totemo kawaii onnanoko desu ne.She is a very pretty girl, isn't she?
- 可愛い女の子の絵を描きました。Kawaii onnanoko no e o kakimashita.I drew a picture of a pretty girl.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at a photo of a child.
- 蓮 Renこの子は誰？可愛い女の子だね。Kono ko wa dare? Kawaii onnanoko da ne.Who is this child? She's a pretty girl.
- 美咲 Misaki私の姪っ子だよ。Watashi no meikko da yo.She is my niece.
- 蓮 Ren似てるね。Niteru ne.You look alike.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう。Arigatō.Thank you.
