• Husky & Onigunsô


Updated: Sep 5, 2020

Kawaii 2.0: Exploring the depths of superficiality

Kawaii Japanese girl sitting on a park bench in a cosplay outfit

Part one in this blog series about Kawaii introduced the basic concept of Kawaii.

Stone Cold Kawaii

At this point, both my Kawaii complex and confusion reached new heights. Daily life and experiences just will not cut it if you want to understand Kawaii. A more «serious» approach was required: The looking up of information at the almighty Wikipedia:

«Kawaii can refer to items, humans or nonhumans that are charming, vulnerable, shy and childlike. Examples include cute handwriting, certain genres of manga, and characters like Hello Kitty and Pikachu.»

The intro didn’t exactly offer much insight, but looking at the origins of the word Kawaii is interesting. It turns out that it was derived from the word «kao-hayushi», which translates to glowing face. This was a common expression for embarrassment in the early 1900s.

In classical Japanese language the word «okashi» had similar properties as Kawaii in modern Japanese. Okashi could mean beautiful, excellent or elegant on the one hand, odd, laughable or ridiculous on the other.

Over time Kawaii changed in both pronunciation and meaning. Before arriving at its current state, the term came to mean «cannot leave alone» or «care for». From there it morphed into Kawaii, which according to Miki Kato (Eye Magazine) is closer to the English word «cool» than «cute».

Kato further argues that the youth culture of Japan see Kawaii as a sign of positivity. If someone is Kawaii, it means that they are innocent and without negative traits. As a result of mass-production, mass-capitalism and mass-control of popular opinion, individuality is hard to express. Embracing cute mascots gives faceless consumers a sense of belonging to a group. It signals that you are easy going, open-minded and approachable.

Kawaii Japanese minibike on Tokyo sidewalk
The local biker gang certainly got more approachable 😎

Hold the Pink, Rabbit-Shaped Phone!

So how does all this translate to our everyday understanding of Kawaii? When your girlfriend describes your male friends as Kawaii, is it an expression of his persona or individuality? Well… In my case it kind of was.

The planning of a drinking party was the setting that made my friend earn his Kawaii. He took it upon himself to call and book a table at a restaurant, even though it was me who initiated the social gathering. Assumingly he did me this favor because he knew that my Japanese speaking ability was limited. This deed led to him being called Kawaii.

When asking my girlfriend about this, she said that it was not his looks or even his personality that was Kawaii. It was the action itself, even though she said that «he was Kawaii».

In other words, doing someone a favor, depending on the context of the situation, can result in people calling you «cute» in Japan. I for one did not take this particular Kawaii to mean an acceptance of my friend’s individuality.

In hindsight it might seem obvious that Kawaii can refer to appearance, behavior or affection, but then there’s the question about understanding the speakers intention: Was the «i» in Kawaii dragged out for two seconds? Did the word go up or down in intonation? What about the body language? Most importantly, was it mere politeness or an actual, heartfelt compliment?

Kawaii Japanese Hello Kitty Halloween cake
Halloween Kitty! Kawaii cake or creepy calorie killer? 😈

Kawaii Overdose!

Let's say you are going to a bakery in Tokyo. The bakery itself might look Kawaii. The mascot greeting you at the door will most definitely be Kawaii, the same goes for the small baked goods in the shape of small rabbits and teddy-bears.

Then there’s the clerk behind the register. He might look Kawaii, act Kawaii, speak Kawaii and wear a Kawaii uniform. If he is a real hunk, he might be Kawaii in the sense that you want him more than the tasty treats he is serving.

The sweetest thing in the entire bakery - the perfectly balanced taste of pastries so fluffy its like biting into clouds of custard and cream - almost drowns in the never-ending waves of cuteness. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Kawaii Japanese curry packs with anime characters
Kawaii curry is soooo much better than vindaloo 😻

Part three in this blog series takes a look at the current state of Kawaii in Japanese society.


Eye Magazine: The Japanese Obsession with Cute Icons is rooted in Cultural Tradition

Japan Powered: What is Kawaii?

Merriam-Webster: On «Kawaii» and the Power of Cute

Princeton University Press: The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature

Sage Journals: How the Term Kawaii is perceived Outside of Japan

Savvy Tokyo: Sexism and Culture: Japan's Obsession with Kawaii

Taiken Japan: Kawaii Culture – The Origins and Meaning of Cute in Japanese

Wikipedia: Kawaii

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