声が可愛い
koe ga kawaii
The English phrase "your voice is cute" is translated into Japanese as 声が可愛い (koe ga kawaii).
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that the sound of their voice is charming or sweet. In Japanese, the word for "your" is often omitted when the context makes it clear whose voice is being discussed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "voice (subject marker) is cute".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai dialect, you may hear the variation お声がめっちゃ可愛いですね, where meccha is used as a strong regional alternative to tottemo to mean "very".
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to someone you are not close with, you can add desu to the end, as seen in 声が可愛いです.
How do you pronounce it?
koe ga kawaii
Did you know?
- The word kawaii was originally written with characters meaning 'pitiful' or 'pathetic', evolving from a feeling of sympathy for a small creature to the modern meaning of 'cute'.
- While kawaii is a general term, Japanese has a specialized word burikko for someone who intentionally makes their voice sound kawaii to appear cute or innocent to others.
- The word koe is a root in many Japanese idioms, such as koe o kakeru, which literally means to 'throw one's voice' but actually means to call out to or strike up a conversation with someone.
Examples in context
- 結衣さんは声が可愛いですね。Yui-san wa koe ga kawaii desu ne.Yui, your voice is cute.
- 彼女は声が可愛い。Kanojo wa koe ga kawaii.Her voice is cute.
- その子は声が可愛いです。Sono ko wa koe ga kawaii desu.That girl has a cute voice.
Example conversation
Youta and Yui are talking on the phone for the first time.
- 陽太 Yotaやっと電話できたね。yatto denwa dekita ne.We finally got to talk on the phone.
- 結衣 Yuiうん、楽しみにしてたよ。un, tanoshimi ni shiteta yo.Yeah, I was looking forward to it.
- 陽太 Yota結衣は声が可愛いね。yui wa koe ga kawaii ne.Yui, your voice is cute.
- 結衣 Yuiえっ、ありがとう！e, arigatou!Oh, thank you!
