Cute Japanese Words

Are you looking to study Japanese? How about learning some cute japanese words and phrases? Japanese is full of words like momo, ”peach,” and neko, ”cat.” The best way to start learning Japanese is with hiragana. Mastering the hiragana set of characters will give you a good foundation for reading Japanese. Hiragana is used for writing around advanced characters, known as kanji. Katakana is sort of like hiragana but is strictly used for representing foreign words, such as ピンク for ”pinku;” the color pink.

Here are some cute Japanese words that either sound that way or refer to cute things to get you started.

Top cute japanese words

かわいい (kawaii) / Cute

This is likely to be one of the most common cute Japanese words you already know. Use it for complementing anything that strikes you as cute.

きれい (kirei) / Pretty

This is another pleasant and complementary word. Much like with かわいい, use きれい to leave a positive remark about something that you find beautiful.

くらくら (kurakura) / Dizzy

Unlike most cute Japanese words, くらくら only sounds cute. It actually means ”dizzy.”

ときどき (tokidoki) / Sometimes

This is another word with a pleasant-sounding array of characters. ときどき is often used to say that something happens or is only done sometimes, usually in a playful sense.

ねこ (neko) / Cat

Japan loves cats and ねこ is the Japanese word for both cats and things that are cat-like. Amusingly, adding an extra こ changes ”cat” to ”kitten” (こねこ).

にこにこ (nikoniko) / Smile

This is a cute way of saying smile, copying the repetitive or sound-alike traits of cute Japanese words.

あたらしい (atarashii) / New

This catch-all word is used for anything and everything that is appealing, modern and new.

たのしい (tanoshi) / Fun

If you find yourself smiling at learning these words or about getting to try them out in the future, you are indeed having たのしい. Not only is this fun to say, it also works as a one-word response when someone discusses something that sounds interesting to you.

おいしい (oishii) / Delicious

If you want to expression your appreciation for something that truly pleases your taste buds, then you will want to use this term to describe it or just exclaim it to the world.

りんご (ringo) / Apple

This is the word used for ”apple.”

もも (momo) / Peach

This repetitive word is the word ”peach” and often used as a term of endearment.

いるす (irusu)

This particular term translates as ”no one is home” in either a literal or figurative sense.

ちいさい (chiisai) / Small

This is your go-to word for anything small or tiny.

ほし (hoshi) / Star

This adorable word means star.

まごまご (magomago) / Confused

Much like kurakura, this is a repetive sound for an unpleasant state; confusion.

ばら (bara) / Roses

This word is used for roses.

みず (mizu) / Water

You can grow your ばら with this word, which means water.

ちょっと (chotto) / Less

This term is a modifier, indicating a small amount, like your fluency in Japanese or how hungry you might be.

たまご (tamago) / Egg

This fun-to-say word means ”egg.”