All Things Kawaii

Kawaii is a Japanese word that is roughly translated to mean cute, pretty, dear, charming, or lovely. It can be used to describe a person or objects and has become more known outside of Japan as a result of the growing interest in anime and Japanese pop culture.

The pronunciation of "kawaii" is "kah-why-ee," similar to the proper pronunciation of "Hawaii." It is often confused with another Japanese word, "kowai" or scary, which is pronounced "koh-why."

Kawaii Noir, or "dark kawaii" is a variation that describes things that are cute but have a slightly sinister quality to them. Some examples of "kawaii noir" include the art by illustrator/artist Junko Mizuno, which includes themes of sweet, pretty girls and plenty of gore, or the character Gloomy Bear, a cute, pink bear with sharp claws that actually maims and kills the boy who befriends him.