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kawa┤ / ikemen / ky┗to ´ How to say ^cute ̄ and ^cool ̄ in Japanese

7/ 9/2021

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In Japanese, ^かわいい ̄ (kawa┤) means ^cute, ̄ and ^かっこいい ̄ (kakko┤) means ^cool. ̄ Both of them are often used in daily life, but in fact, they can be described in other ways with the same meaning. This article introduces a variety of expressions for ^かわいい ̄ (kawa┤) and ^かっこいい ̄ (kakko┤).

First, let's start with other ways to say ^かわいい ̄ (kawa┤).

1. キュ`ト (ky┗to)

^キュ`ト ̄ (ky┗to) is a Japanese word meaning ^cute. ̄ The word ^キュ`ト ̄ (ky┗to) is derived from the English word ^cute ̄ meaning ^adorable. ̄

Example

そのかばん、キュ`トだね

Sono kaban, ky┗toda ne!

Your bag is cute!

Example

キュ`トな、鰊Iったの。

Ky┗tona kutsu wo katta no.

I bought cute shoes.

2. きゃわたん (kyawa tan)

^きゃわたん ̄ (kyawa tan) is a young person's casual expression for ^cute. ̄ It is said that junior and high school girls started using it. Originally, ^きゃわたん ̄ (kyawa tan) was often used in texts such as emails and SNS. But now, some people use it in conversation.

^きゃわたん ̄ (kyawa tan) is a young word, so be careful not to use it on formal occasions.

Example

この捲、きゃわたん。Iいたいな。

Kono fuku, kyawa tan. Kaitai na.

This outfit is cute. I want to buy it.

Example

て,△糧、きゃわたん

Mite! Ano inu, kyawa tan!

Look! What a cute dog!

Similar to ^きゃわたん ̄ (kyawa tan), there are also ^きゃわ ̄ (kyawa) and  ̄きゃわわ ̄ (kyawawa), both of which have the same meaning as ^きゃわたん ̄ (kyawa tan).

Example

さっきB初してくれた泳箆、きゃわわだね。

Sakki sh┃kai shite kureta kareshi, kyawawada ne.

The boyfriend introduced earlier is cute, isn't he?

3. ぐうかわ (g┗ kawa)

^ぐうかわ ̄ (g┗ kawa) is one of the young people's words that means ^cute. ̄ ^ぐうかわ ̄ (g┗ kawa) is the Japanese abbreviation for the expression ^ぐうの咄も竃ないほどかわいい ̄ (g┗none mo denai hodo kawa┤). ^ぐうの咄もでない ̄ (g┗none mo denai) means ^the state of being unable to refute or make excuses at all. ̄ Therefore, we say ^ぐうかわ ̄ (g┗ kawa) when we want to express ^cuteness that no one disagrees with. ̄

Example

3rになった暴の副っ徨がぐうかわ。

3-sai ni natta watashi no oi-kko ga g┗ kawa.

My three-year-old nephew is absolutely cute.

Example

嗔繁が徨竪を憤ってきたんだけど、ぐうかわすぎる。

Y┗jin ga koneko wo hirotte kita ndakedo, g┗ kawa sugiru.

My friend picked up a kitten, and it's so cute.

4. めんこい (menkoi)

^めんこい ̄ (menkoi) is a dialect meaning ^cute ̄ that is used in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region. It is often used when older people express their affection towards younger people.

Example

埴、めんこいね゛

Kimi, menkoi ne ~

You¨re cute.

Example

rのxれたは、いつまでもWを徨どもQいして仝めんこい々と冱ってくる。

Toshi no hanareta ane wa, itsu made mo boku wo kodomo atsukai shite ^menkoi ̄ to itte kuru.

My older sister always treats me as a child and says, "You¨re cute."

Next, let's move on to other words for ^cool. ̄

[晩云のことが櫃砲覆襭尋讃wに晩云Zを僥びませんか]

5. ク`ル(k┗ru)

^ク`ル ̄ (k┗ru) is also a word that means ^cool. ̄ It is derived from the pronunciation of the English word ^cool. ̄ The main meaning of the Japanese word ^ク`ル ̄ (k┗ru) is ^to be cool in appearance or look. ̄ In addition, it is sometimes used to communicate preferences for attitude or behavior.

Example

パ`ティ`で氏ったク`ルな翌の槻來に匯朕祓れした。

P─t┤ de atta k┗runa gaiken no dansei ni hitomebore shita.

I fell in love at first sight with a cool looking man I met at the party

Example

嶷い塞麗を隔っているといつも返擦辰討れる泳はク`ルだ。

Omoi nimotsu wo motte iruto itsumo tetsudatte kureru kare wa k┗ruda.

He is cool because he always helps me with heavy luggage.

^ク`ル ̄ (k┗ru) means not only ^cool ̄ but also ^calm and collected. ̄

Example

暴の儘はク`ルでかっこいいと嗔繁からu登だ。

Watashi no ani wa k┗rude kakko┤ to y┗jin kara hy┃banda.

My brother has a reputation from friends for being calm and cool.

6. イケメン (ikemen)

^イケメン ̄ (ikemen) is a youth word that means ^cool. ̄ It is mainly used to express the appearance and character of men.

Example

屶芙から奉した槻來はイケメンらしい。

Shisha kara tenzoku shita dansei wa ikemen rash┤.

The man who transferred from the branch office seems to be handsome.

Example

繁の笥をけして冱わない泳は來鯉がイケメンだ。

Hito no waruguchi wo keshite iwanai kare wa seikaku ga ikemenda.

He has a good personality and never says bad things about people.

7. かっけぇ (ka kke ~)

^かっけぇ ̄ (ka kke ~) is one of the youth words and an abbreviation for ^かっこいい. ̄ Sometimes it is written ^かっけ` ̄ (ka kke ~). Younger people sometimes use it with longing for older people.

Example

鯵は、枠伏みたいなかっけぇ寄繁を朕峺す

Ore wa, sensei mitaina ka kke ~ otona wo mezasu!

I want to be a cool adult man like my teacher!

Furthermore, there is a word in Japanese that express ^cute ̄ and ^cool ̄ in one word.

8かっこかわいい (kakko kawa┤)

^かっこかわいい ̄ (kakko kawa┤) means ^cool and cute. ̄ It is used when you want to express a person who is not only cute or cool, but also harmonious with both.

Example

この只鮫の麼繁巷は否徊が辛曚い里法△い弔眄箴欧憤k冱でかっこかわいい。

Kono manga no shujink┃ wa y┃shi ga kawaii no ni, itsumo reiseina hatsugen de kakko kawa┤.

The main character of this manga has a cute appearance, but she¨s always cool and cute with her calm remarks.

In Japanese, there are many other expressions for ^cute ̄ and ^cool. ̄ For example, can you guess the meaning of ^麹かわ ̄ (oni kawa) which is a combination of ^ ̄ (oni), meaning demon, and ^かわいい ̄ (kawa┤)? If you learn a lot of Japanese expressions, you may be able to enjoy the contents of Japanese anime and manga more.

If you are interested in the Japanese language, why don't you sign up for a free membership to Human Academy Japanese Language School Plus. You can experience practical Japanese lessons by experienced teachers for free.

This site is translated by machine translation. Therefore, the contents is not always accurate. Please note that the contents after translation may not be the same as the original Japanese page.

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