Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kawaii

/kəˈwaɪ.i/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables
ka-waii
IPA
/kəˈwaɪ.i/
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Cute, adorable.

noun

The quality of being kawaii; cuteness.

Uncountable

noun

The style or culture of cuteness

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 可愛(かわい)い (kawaii, “lovable; adorable; cute”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

more kawaii (comparative) most kawaii (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce kawaii?
The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈwaɪ.i/.
What does kawaii mean?
Cute, adorable.
Where does kawaii come from?
It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce kawaii

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kawaii”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kəˈwaɪ.i/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kawaii”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “kawaii” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.