可爱

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.