Category - Kawaii coloring pages

“Kawaii” simply means cute in Japanese. Rooted in Japanese pop culture, this expression was immediately popularized by manga and Japanese animated series. Kawaii culture, already ubiquitous in various Asian countries, is becoming increasingly Westernized.

In Japan, the term “Kawaii” or “Kawai” (“可愛い”, which can also be spelled “かわい”) is used to refer to anything considered cute. It could be a child, a pet robot, a pet animal, a mascot, etc.

This expression has its origins in Murasaki Shikibu’s book “The Tale of Genji”. The term Kawaii (written “かわゆい” for “kawayui” in its original version) referred to empathy. The expression gradually evolved into its current form (“可愛い”).

This term can be broken down and interpreted differently. The prefix “可” thus designates the ability to power. As for the suffix “愛”, we’ll use it to qualify anything that reflects affection, sympathy and love (in its global sense).

In Japan, this term may be used (figuratively) to designate human fragility or innocence. The term can also be used to describe babies, round objects and tiny things as cute.

Be careful, however, not to equate this expression with the idea of beauty or elegance, as these concepts have nothing in common. The word Kawaii is mostly used to describe anything cute and childlike.

To describe someone or something as admirable, we prefer the expression Utsukushii; bijin (for a pretty damsel), kakkō ii (for elegant style), and so on.

Be careful, too, as it may be shocking to use the term Kawaii in Japan to describe an adult person of either sex. If it’s a woman, it could imply that she’s naive or immature. For a man, the name Kawaii can be perceived as an insult to masculinity.

Do your kids love puppies, kittens, mascots and cute Kawaii writing? If so, they’ll also love coloring the Kawaii designs published on our page, which you can print for free today.