Kawaii Meaning & Culture Explained

Do you know the meaning of kawaii [可愛い]? This Japanese word means something cute, pretty, and things like that. Kawaii also involves sweet, kind, adorable, charming, precious, dear, and even tiny things.

This word is internationally known thanks to Japanese pop culture and anime. It is used to designate objects, accessories, clothes, animals, and people that are beautiful and attractive. In this article, we will see a complete overview of Kawaii culture in Japan.

Table of Contents

The origin of the word Kawaii

It is believed that the origin of the word comes from “kawayushi” [かはゆし], which refers to the feeling of sympathy for another person’s misfortune. We can notice this usage today in the expression “kawaisou” [可哀想], which means poor thing, lamentable, unfortunate.

The origin of kawaii also comes from the old word “Itawashii” [労わしい], which means moving; lamentable; heartbreaking; pathetic. Some synonyms found in other dialects are megushi, menkoi, and megoi.

The word “Kahayushi” was established in the abbreviated form of “Kahohayushi,” and the verbal word was “Kawayui,” which was later changed to “Kawaii.” Originally, it meant “embarrassing” with the feeling that “the other person is incredibly superior.”

Over time, the word began to refer to the feeling of caring for a partner in a lamentable state. It is complicated to understand the origin and changes that this word has undergone over the years, or how it achieved such an opposite meaning.

The word is composed of the ideograms (可) which means acceptable and (愛) which means love.

What does Kawaii mean?

We already know that this word can mean something related to cuteness. To be more specific, it is a Japanese adjective used to describe a person’s feeling of affection, such as fondness or love, in some sense.

The derivatives include Kawarashii [可愛らしい], which means charming, sweet, and cute. We also have the verb Kawaigaru [可愛がる], which means to love, care for, be affectionate, treat tenderly, pamper, show favoritism, be partial, caress, and tease.

The word “Kawaii” has a strong connotation of expressing affection or attachment to young or small things. For this reason, in the past, it was considered rude to use the word for adults, mainly due to its origin, except when it was used among lovers.

With the growth of kawaii culture, the term became common for any use, whether for people or adorable objects. Young women often use the term with those who are somehow superior to them.

What is considered Kawaii?

In modern times, even artificial objects that do not have the characteristics of humans and living beings can be recognized and evaluated as “cute.” We can easily come to a conclusion about something being cute without any explanation.

Even the shapes of things in Japan can be considered Kawaii. Curved shapes, like circles and spheres, are more likely to be evaluated as “cute,” so even the style of scissors can be labeled as kawaii scissors.

According to an evaluation experiment among men and women, it was concluded that there are cute colors like yellow. It has also been scientifically proven that small things tend to be cuter.

Objects with textures that evoke soft tactile sensations were classified as “cute” instead of hard things. A teddy bear or something fluffy is naturally considered cute worldwide.

Sometimes “kawaii” is used as an expression of attachment to some personal object, even if it is not beautiful. Generally, personal tastes may not be understood by the vast majority, except if they relate to a niche or hobby.

Besides the original meaning of the word “Kawareru,” the verbal form of “Kawaii” also refers to the act of favoring or caring for someone of a lower level, or in a lower situation. Does this meaning make sense? Let’s see?

The characteristics, morphology, and behavior of a baby are instinctively “protected” and “loved” by humans. The same happens with animals; when they are small and defenseless, we find them cute, love them, and feel the urge to protect them.

Japanese bowing to Kawaii

The History of Kawaii culture

The first traces of this culture emerged in the Edo period (1603-1868), where woodblock prints known as dijinga represented beautiful girls. By the end of the Edo period, some artists were already making illustrations that gave rise to the term.

Yumeji Takehisa and Katsuji Matsumoto were among the great fathers of Shoujo illustrations of cute girls. They drew cute girls with big eyes, which was often considered vulgar. After all, the word had already been used to refer to people of low social class.

Kawaii as an aesthetic concept began in the 1970s, with the growth of the Japanese economy and the commercialization of products related to mascots and anime and manga characters. The illustrations of cute girls, Shoujo manga, and product marketing were responsible for this phenomenon.

The great representative of the cuteness BOOM is the character “Hello Kitty.” The Japanese love cute things, regardless of age! Cute elements can be seen practically everywhere in Japan, in large companies, markets, advertisements, TV commercials, video games, airplanes, cars, etc.

This word may also have originated from China, as they use “Kě’ài” [可爱] to designate something beautiful, cute, or adorable.

It is not common to call a man kawaii, but women often use the term: “Kakkoii [かっこい]” for that.

Kawaii and the Burikko culture

There is a Japanese subculture called “Burikko,” which became popular among girls aged 12 to 18 in the 1980s. About 50% of girls at the time wore something related to Burikko culture.

Burikko [ぶりっ子] is a term used to refer to women who act and speak in a childlike or innocent manner to attract attention. This culture even affects the way girls write.

The original word Burikko is composed with the ideogram [振] which means agitation, playful, and swing. Nowadays it is written only in Hiragana. The word can be translated as false child.

The adjective kawaii emerged at the same time that the Burikko-ji and Maru-ji, Koneko-ji, Manga-ji writings became popular. This writing was used by teenagers who wrote rounded figures and happy faces (emojis).

Thus, nowadays everything that is rounded and happy can be considered kawaii. We can notice that most characters in anime and manga have big eyes and rounded heads. Especially the Chibi characters.

A childlike, innocent, and naive behavior is also considered kawaii. It does not mean that they are childish; they are just trying to be cute and use innocent expressions that can even indicate eroticism.

We also recommend reading: Burikko – The Japanese girls who have excessive cuteness!

Different types of Kawaii

The youthful word of the 1990s gave rise to different terms related to kawaii, which may be a bit unknown in the West but deserve highlighting:

Erokawaii – Cute and sexy

Erokawaii [エロかわいい] is a compound of “erotic” + “cute,” a concept of cuteness that includes sensuality and sexual attractiveness. It is believed that this term emerged in 2003 in forums when someone called Sophie from Star Ocean 3 Erokawaii.

Around 2004, singer Kumi Koda expressed her own sexy fashion called “Erokawaii,” being recognized as a general term in the fashion world, thus this term was born. Erotic beauty is popular in fashion magazines, giving rise to other expressions like “erotic cool” and “erotic cool cute.”

Erokawaii clothing mixes sexy with cute. As a sexy element, there is a lot of skin exposure, lingerie-style design, use of transparency, black, and others. Cute elements include the use of ruffles, bows, lace, polka dots, and pink.

Some styles of Lolita can be called Kawaii

Busakawaii – Ugly but cute

The term “Busa-kawaii” [ブサかわいい] is a compound word of “ugly” + “cute.” It is generally used for pets and women. It refers to a woman who is beautiful and charming, even if she may seem ugly at first glance.

When the term “ugly cute” is used for pets, it usually describes the beauty of a pug or bulldog or other animals that may seem ugly but are actually cute and have their charm.

Kimokawaii – Creepy but cute

Kimokawaii [キモかわいい] is a compound word of “Kimoi,” which means disgusting, scary, or strange, along with the word “Kawaii.” That is, it is something that, despite being disgusting and strange, can be considered cute or pretty.

The term was first used by young people in the late 90s and came to refer to characters like dancing babies. Initially, the term was not used for humans, but when the comedian Angirls became popular in the 2000s, his surreal behavior was described as “scarily cute.”

Although “scary” and “cute” are contradictory adjectives, there have been many cases of “monsters” like Godzilla being called kawaii. Even outside Japan, there have been examples, like the Gremlins and SpongeBob, which, despite being strange, are cute.

Other kawaii terms

Besides the main ones mentioned, we have some others like:

Yurukawaii – A combination of something relaxed and loose + cute;
Kakkokawaii – A combination of cool + cute; Used for compact cars.
Kireikawaii – A combination of beautiful + cute;

How the West views kawaii culture

Even though this is predominant throughout Japan, Westerners view kawaii things as something childish or feminine, not understanding or accepting how this is spread in Japanese culture.

Still, the West is strongly influenced by kawaii culture. Westerners are not entirely wrong in stating that this culture is childish; in reality, it is based precisely on children, animals, and babies.

It turns out that rounded characters with big eyes, colorful clothes and hair, high-pitched voices, strange attitudes and gestures, and different styles end up disturbing Westerners who consume certain media like games, cartoons, and manga.

Westerners end up thinking that these media are made especially for children. The Japanese, on the other hand, do not discriminate against things by saying that something is childish or feminine; they accept things with open arms and consume the content as it is.

In fact, both Japanese games and anime are made with adults and teenagers in mind. There is no notion that something cute is childish; Japan breaks this taboo and does it very well. In fact, the prejudiced view of cuteness in the West reflects its insecurity.

If cuteness is instinctively linked to the desire to protect and love, the cultural absence makes love and affection set aside, which is why we have in the West a growing passion for violence and a great ignorance when it comes to cuteness.

In Japan, workers’ barricades are cute

Why do Japanese people like cute things more than the West?

Kawaii culture was, in many ways, shaped by the desire to end the aggressive militaristic past. The media and commerce efforts have culturally strengthened the Japanese taste for cute things.

Cuteness is sometimes associated with fantasy and immortality. Being cute gives the illusion of positive health, which is totally opposite to mortality. Most Americans value freedom to enjoy life, regardless of extreme danger.

East Asian people, in general, are not good at expressing their true emotions in public due to fear and shame, which were strongly influenced by Confucianism that emphasized the importance of harmony among people.

Cuteness served as a buffer for a person to hide their true intentions inside. Westerners, on the contrary, need to express their true opinions to gain respect and trust, thus generating a bit of hypocrisy and two-facedness.

Cuteness is a type of positive image that allows a person to feel happy, secure, and relaxed from the harsh realities of life, especially in Japan, where one must always follow strict rules anywhere and work overtime. This somewhat generates profit for the market, increasing the reach of kawaii.

We recommend reading: Honne and Tatemae – Understanding the two faces

Sub-Cultures of the Kawaii phenomenon

Besides burikko, there are several other subcultures, types, or categories related to the kawaii phenomenon. Let’s see some kawaii subcultures or fashion styles:

Gurokawaii – Refers to something beautiful and grotesque at the same time. People who wear heavy makeup may fit into this subculture.
Kimokawaii – Refers to something cute and scary at the same time.
Busukawaii – Something that is ugly and beautiful at the same time. Probably someone who, in an attempt to look kawaii, remained ugly.
Erokawaii – Something cute and sexy;
Shibukawaii – Refers to the more casual kawaii style. Every day the person looks nice without doing much, just wearing a simple piece daily.

Most other types and fashion styles use aspects that delve into kawaii culture, like lolitas. You can find these and other kawaii fashion styles by visiting the Harajuku neighborhood.

Kawaii is also strongly linked to Moe, a word that can also be used to refer to someone adorable, cute, and beautiful. The word is often used for girls who exhibit the following characteristics: Shyness, Kindness, Beauty, and Innocence.

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Besides the whole country participating in the culture, the population contributes with the following other styles and culture:

Most young Japanese love to decorate their phones with stickers and trinkets;
There are many cars filled with stuffed animals or printed with some type of character;
The Kigurumi, Cosplay, Decora style, and also the Japanese lolitas are part of this concept;
Even Japanese cuisine is cute:

Kawaii – Examples of cuteness in Japan

Kawaii culture is quite exposed in Japan everywhere. Just enter a souvenir shop to find thousands of kawaii things. It is not just the products for sale, but even the advertisements are cute.

Believe it or not, this is a police poster asking people to report a crime:

Many companies, both small and large, use “cute” mascots to showcase their products and services to the public. Let’s see some examples below:

Pokémon characters adorned the sides of All Nippon Airways jets;
Asahi Bank used Miffy, a character from a Dutch series of children’s illustrated books, in some of its ATMs;
Monkichi, a little monkey, can be seen on the packaging of a line of condoms;
All 47 prefectures of Japan have a cute mascot. The slogan of almost everything must have something cute;

The Japanese post office also uses other mascots, for example, on stamps;
On Japanese roads, we can see trucks printed with figures of Hello Kitty and other cute characters;
There are various trains customized with anime and cute things;
In Japan, there are islands called Rabbit Island and Cat Island, which attract many visitors due to their inhabitants;
Each police force in Japan has its own mascots, many of them adorning the front of koban (police stations);
There are various Maid Cafes and Cat Cafes spread across the country;
The barricades used in construction and road repairs in Japan are cute and feature some character. Look for images of [単管バリケード].

To learn more, read also:

Why do Japanese people like Kawaii things?

Some say that this culture was born as a movement against traditional Japanese culture and the social pressure imposed on young people when they finish their university studies. Others believe that kawaii culture was born from the desire to be cared for and loved.

In an era when people are increasingly isolating themselves and have less time to have fun, consuming cute products is a way to lessen loneliness and relieve stress. On the other hand, the excess of products with characters ends up blurring the lines between what is play and what is not.

Despite the subcultures and fashion styles losing strength each year, cute things remain strong in the media and advertisements throughout the country. Each time gaining greater acceptance in the West, thanks to anime, games, and manga.

What do you think about this gigantic aspect of Japanese culture? Did you know its meaning?

The most Kawaii animes of all time

I hope you enjoyed this article; if you did, share it and leave your comments. Before finishing, I will also recommend some very Kawaii animes for you to get an idea of this concept:

K-On – A must-watch music anime for anyone who wants to see something cute and moe. It tells the story of a band of cute girls who are in a light music school club.

Kimi ni Todoke – One of the cutest and most innocent romances of all time. In this story, you follow the romance of a girl named Sawako who is bullied because her name reminds people of the girl from the movie The Ring.

Ao Haru Ride – Another very popular and cute anime that tells the story of two young lovers, but things did not go very well. After reuniting, the girl tries to get closer to him, but he seems to have indifferent feelings.

Other cute animes I recommend:

Acchi Kocchi;
Akagami ga Shirayuki Hime;
Ao Haru Hide;
Bokura ga Ita;
Clannad;
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?
Golden Time;
Hanamaru Youchien;
Hetalia Axis Power;
Hibike! Euphonium;
Kaichou wa Maid-sama!;
Kimi ni Todoke;
Love Live and other idol animes;
Lovely Complex;
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei;
Minami-Ke;
Nana;
Non Non Biyori;
Ore Monogatari;
Romeo x Juliet;
Shigatsu wa kimi no uso;
Shinryaku! Ika Musume;
Sukitte Ii na yo;
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu;
Toradora;
Yuru Yuri;
Yuyushiki;
Zero no Tsukaima;

Cute Aggression – The Kawaii Desire

We cannot talk about Kawaii without mentioning “Cute Aggression” [キュートアグレッション]. It is a need, craving, or desire to pinch, squeeze, or eat something cute. This explains the use of kawaii in Japanese media and commerce.

When a person sees something very beautiful, they may feel the urge to bite or squeeze it. This is explained as the brain’s defensive reaction when coming into contact with something very cute, as an uncontrollable reaction.

Things like fluffy animals or puppies with their heads out of the car create an overwhelming sense of cuteness. Japan uses Kawaii as the main form of marketing and lifestyle, which also results in a peaceful culture without violence.

What did you think of this long article discussing everything about Kawaii? I hope it has explained a lot about the term and its culture. I hope you understand why Japan is such a peaceful and kind place, thanks to kawaii culture. What do you think? Do you agree with this opinion?

Meaning of Kawaii – Culture of cuteness in Japan