What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of three parts: これ (kore) means "this" when referring to something near the speaker. すごく (sugoku) is an adverb meaning "extremely" or "very". And 可愛い (kawaii) means "cute."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form これすごく可愛い is informal and suitable for casual conversations with friends or family. However, it lacks the politeness required when speaking to strangers or superiors. To make the expression more polite and standard, you can add desu to the end, as in これ、すごく可愛いです. For even more variety, これはとってもかわいいです and Kono mono wa sugoku kawaii desu ne are formal ways to express that something is very or extremely cute.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can turn the phrase into a tag question seeking agreement, similar to saying "this is so cute, isn't it?", by adding the particle ね (ne) to the end, resulting in これすごく可愛いね.
How do you pronounce it?
kore sugoku kawaii
Did you know?
- The word 可愛い originally comes from 可哀い, which meant 'pitiful' or 'poor'. It shifted from describing something that evokes pity to something that evokes a desire to protect and love.
- In Japanese pop culture, the concept of 'kawaii' is so powerful it has birthed its own subculture of 'ugly-cute' aesthetics known as グロ可愛い (guro-kawaii).
- While 'cute' is a compliment, using the phrase too much toward an adult can sometimes be seen as condescending or 'infantilizing' them.
Examples in context
- これすごく可愛い！Kore sugoku kawaii!This is so cute!
- 見て、これすごく可愛いよ。Mite, kore sugoku kawaii yo.Look, this is so cute.
- プレゼント、これすごく可愛いね。Purezento, kore sugoku kawaii ne.The present, this is so cute, isn't it?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at a small stuffed animal in a shop.
- 蓮 Ren美咲、見て。これすごく可愛い。Misaki, mite. Kore sugoku kawaii.Misaki, look. This is so cute.
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ！すごく可愛いね。Hontou da! Sugoku kawaii ne.You're right! It really is cute.
- 蓮 Renプレゼントにしようかな。Purezento ni shiyou kana.Maybe I'll get it as a gift.
- 美咲 Misakiいいと思うよ。Ii to omou yo.I think that's a good idea.
