Skip to main content
Oxford English Dictionary
Advanced search
More informations
First published 2010

kawaiiadjective & noun

Quotations

Contents

  1. adjective
    1. 1965–
      Cute, esp. in a manner considered characteristic of Japanese popular culture; charming, darling; ostentatiously adorable.
      1. 1965
        When East meets West Japanese call it kawaii.
        New York Times 20 April 35 (heading)
      2. 1984
        One student study compared Japanese and non-Japanese reaction to kawaii behavior.
        S. Ramsey in A. Wolfgang, Nonverbal Behavior (new edition) i. 153
      3. 1999
        The kawaii style dominated Japanese popular culture in the 1980s.
        A. E. Raz, Riding Black Ship vi. 173
      4. 2003
        A future cult classic? Who cares: it's just so goddamn kawaii!
        Face June 45/1
      5. 2009
        For those who love anything kawaii, there are countless varieties of candies bundled in animé-style packaging.
        LA Weekly (California) (Nexis) 1 October
  2. noun
    1. 1986–
      That which is kawaii; cuteness.
      1. 1986
        Contemporary kawaii is flourishing... There is no Japanese word for ‘cloying’.
        Wall Street Journal 21 February 21/2
      2. 1997
        The cult of kawaii extends throughout the mass media: cute stuffed animals awarded as prizes on TV quiz shows, cartoonlike voices announcing station breaks, soft-sell commercials showing smiling babies.
        A. Cooper-Chen, Mass Communication in Japan ii. 20
      3. 2005
        Languid fluffy pink tentacles wave at him in an attack of kawaii.
        C. Stross, Accelerando iii. 78