Meaning of かわいい When Used By Kids Towards Adults


Okay, I'm fairly advanced in my Japanese studies after having lived and taught
in Japan for almost a year. However, one thing that continues to boggle me is
the possibly most common word of all: かわいい。

I'm a 23 year-old young woman, and my elementary school students love calling
me かわいい, most especially the girls. While I understand that the word can also
mean "pretty" as well as "cute", being called this by a child makes me wonder
if it's at all belittling? Maybe this is my English perception of "cute", but
a child calling me that just seems like they're making me a child. Is there
perhaps a different nuance to this word that I wasn't aware of?




I think かわいい doesn't have a negative nuance even if it is used for adults.

Not only Japanese elementary school students but also even Japanese adult
women often use the word かわいい. Japanese people, especially women, say it to
everything as a word of praise. They use it to things because of not only its
superficial cuteness but also its interior cuteness and familiarity.

