https://kotaku.com/the-meaning-of-kawaii-1847641571
"Kawaii. You hear it in anime, you hear it on TV shows, and you hear it on the
streets of Japan, where the word is spoken by young and old alike. With people
around the world growing up on Japanese popular culture, the word has also
entered the international zeitgeist. But what does “kawaii” actually mean?
In Japanese, the word literally means “acceptable for affection” or “possible
to love” and has been translated as meaning “cute,” “adorable,” “sweet,”
“precious,” “pretty,” “endearing,” “darling,” and even “little.” Its use varies
in Japanese and can refer to babies, puppies, young people, clothing, and even
senior citizens. In Japanese, one might refer to one’s own grandma as kawaii,
even if she’s not decked out in pink bows and a frilly dress.
In comparison with the word
utsukushii—meaning “beautiful” or “lovely”—the
word kawaii is more playful. Things can be
kimokawaii (creepy cute),
busukawaii (ugly cute), or
erokawaii (sexy cute). Kawaii is versatile and
fun, while utsukushii has the burden of beauty. It’s also entered the English
language. The nuance might be slightly different, but the Collins English
Dictionary defines it as the following:
adjective
1. denoting a Japanese artistic and cultural style that emphasizes the
quality of cuteness, using bright colours and characters with a childlike
appearance
noun
2. (in Japanese art and culture) the quality of being lovable or cute
“If you translate kawaii into English, it’s ‘cute,’ but kawaii is much more
emotional than cute,” Tokyo fashion mogul Sebastian Masuda, hailed as the
Godfather of Kawaii, told me over a decade ago. The clothing designer has been
a central player in the contemporary kawaii fashion movement with his Harajuku
clothing shop 6% Doki Doki, which launched in 1995. But contemporary kawaii
culture started long before."
Via Muse, who wrote " An endearing article!"
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*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
