可爱
cute; lovable
HSK level
- Pinyin
- kě'ài
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 15
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 可爱
可爱 is written with 15 strokes (可: 5, 爱: 10). The animation replays automatically.
What does 可爱 mean?
可爱 (kě'ài) is an adjective meaning 'cute,' 'adorable,' or 'lovable' — literally 'able to be loved' (可 = able + 爱 = love).
It describes anything that makes you want to coo: babies, puppies, plushies, anime characters, small clumsy gestures from someone you like. It's far broader than English 'cute,' which often implies a slightly diminutive 'small and pretty.' 可爱 can describe a kid (这个孩子真可爱), a cat (小猫好可爱), a personality (她的笑容很可爱 = her smile is cute), or even an idea or sentence ('what a cute way of putting it').
For people, calling a child 可爱 is always safe and complimentary; calling another adult 可爱 to their face is friendly and warm, but in some contexts it can sound a bit teasing or diminutive — it's the kind of thing you'd say to a partner, a close friend, or a kawaii streamer. The pinyin uses an apostrophe (kě'ài) to mark that 可 and 爱 are separate syllables.
Note: Neutral, leaning casual. Heavily used in everyday speech and online culture to describe kids, pets, anime characters, and small adorable things. Calling an adult 可爱 can be warm or slightly diminutive depending on context.
Character by character
Memory hook: 可 ('able to / worth') + 爱 ('love') — literally 'worthy of being loved.' Cute is something you can't help but love.
Example sentences
这只小狗真可爱！
Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu zhēn kě'ài!
This puppy is so cute!
spoken
你的妹妹很可爱。
Nǐ de mèimei hěn kě'ài.
Your little sister is very cute.
spoken
她笑起来特别可爱。
Tā xiào qǐlái tèbié kě'ài.
She looks especially cute when she smiles.
spoken
我喜欢可爱的东西。
Wǒ xǐhuan kě'ài de dōngxi.
I like cute things.
spoken
这个孩子又聪明又可爱。
Zhège háizi yòu cōngming yòu kě'ài.
This child is both smart and cute.
neutral
Common phrases with 可爱
Synonyms
萌 is a loan-meaning from Japanese 'moe' — used for anime / kawaii-style cuteness, especially online. Younger, internet-flavored. 可爱 is the universal everyday word; 萌 is hipper and more specific.
Don't confuse 可爱 with
可怕 means 'scary / terrifying' — literally 'able to be feared.' Same 可 pattern but opposite feeling. Don't say 可怕 when you mean 可爱.
可以 means 'can / may / okay.' Same 可 ('-able') but different second character. 可以 is a permission/ability word; 可爱 is an adjective for adorable.
亲爱 (usually 亲爱的) means 'dear / beloved' (亲爱的妈妈 = dear mom). It expresses YOUR love for someone; 可爱 describes someone as worthy of being loved.
FAQ
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