Latest / Learn Japanese with Fexingo / Japanese Basic Adjective - Kawaii
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, welcome back to Learn Japanese with Fexingo! I'm Lucas, and today we're going to learn a word that I think you'll love. Luna: Ooh, I'm excited! What is it? Lucas: Today's word is かわいい. It means 'cute' or 'adorable.' You've probably heard it before. Luna: かわいい — yes! I hear that all the time in shows and songs. But how do I use it in a sentence? Lucas: Great question. Let's start simple. The most basic way is just かわいいです. That's a complete sentence: 'It's cute.' Listen again: かわいいです. Luna: かわいいです. Got it. So if I see a cute dog, I can say that? Lucas: Exactly. You see a cute puppy, you point and say かわいいです. But if you want to say 'very cute,' you add とても before it. とてもかわいいです. Luna: とてもかわいいです. That sounds even more enthusiastic. Let me try: とてもかわいいです. Lucas: Perfect! Now, what if you want to ask if something is cute? You add か at the end. かわいいですか? Luna: かわいいですか? So I can ask 'Is it cute?' That's useful when shopping, like 'Is this cute?' Lucas: Exactly. And to say something is NOT cute, you use かわいくない. For example: これはかわいくない — 'This is not cute.' Luna: かわいくない. That's a mouthful! かわいくない. Let me repeat: これはかわいくない. Lucas: Good. One more phrase: when you want to agree or show admiration, you can say かわいいですね. It's like 'It's cute, isn't it?' Luna: かわいいですね. That has a nice rhythm. So I can use it when I'm talking with a friend about a cute cat. Lucas: Right. Let's practice a short dialogue. Imagine you see a cute hat in a store. You ask me: かわいいですか? Luna: かわいいですか? Lucas: And I answer: はい、とてもかわいいです. Luna: That sounds natural. Okay, let me try asking about a different item: このバッグはかわいいですか? Lucas: Almost! Remember to use かわいいですか for questions. But your sentence is fine: このバッグはかわいいですか? Perfect. And I'd say: いいえ、かわいくないです. Luna: Oh, so 'no, it's not cute.' かわいくないです. That's useful. Lucas: You're catching on. Now let's do a quick review. I'll say a phrase in English, and you try the Japanese. Ready? Luna: Ready! Lucas: It's cute. Luna: かわいいです. Lucas: Very cute. Luna: とてもかわいいです. Lucas: Is it cute? Luna: かわいいですか? Lucas: Not cute. Luna: かわいくないです. Lucas: Excellent! You got them all. Now, if you found this episode helpful and want to support the show, you can buy us a coffee at buymeacoffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps keep these episodes ad-free and lets us keep making content like this. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps us keep the podcast going. We really appreciate it. Now, let's practice one more time with a full sentence. Lucas, what's something cute you've seen recently? Lucas: I saw a cute kitten yesterday. So I'd say: あの子猫はかわいいです. 'That kitten is cute.' Luna: あの子猫はかわいいです. I love that. Can I say: その犬はとてもかわいいです. Lucas: Yes! 'That dog is very cute.' Perfect. And if you want to add emphasis, you can say 本当にかわいい — 'really cute.' Luna: 本当にかわいい. That's a good one. Okay, I think I've got かわいい down. Thanks Lucas! Lucas: You're welcome! Keep practicing, and try to use かわいい whenever you see something adorable. That's all for today's episode. See you next time on Learn Japanese with Fexingo! Luna: Bye everyone! Practice makes perfect. またね!