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Download fileEnglish and Spanish Adjectives that Describe the Japanese Concept of Kawaii
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posted on 2021-11-01, 20:38 authored by Hiroshi NittonoHiroshi Nittono, Hatsune Saito, Namiha Ihara, Dante Fenocchio, Jorge Mario AndreauThe word “kawaii” is ubiquitous in contemporary Japan and has spread to
the rest of the world with the dissemination of Japanese pop culture. Although
the word is conventionally translated in English as “cute,” its meaning is more
nuanced than “cute,” and it is used for a wider variety of objects. The primary
aim of this study was to determine if Spanish has an equivalent to the word “kawaii”;
additionally, the similarities and differences across Japanese, English, and
Spanish were explored. An internet survey was conducted in which respondents from
Japan (n = 486), the United States (n = 365), and Argentina (n
= 303) were presented with various photographic images that were often described
as “kawaii” in Japanese and asked to write three adjectives to describe the
images. They were also instructed to rate their affective states when looking
at each image in the valence and arousal dimensions. The results showed that babyish
objects (e.g., human, animal, and toy) were most frequently defined as “kawaii”
in Japanese, “cute” in English, and “tierno” in Spanish. The
average frequency at which these words were used as primary adjectives was
higher for “kawaii” (57.5%) than for “cute” (26.8%) or “tierno” (22.4%). Other
images for which “kawaii” was used, such as whimsical things and pastel-colored
sweets, were less likely to be described as “cute” or “tierno,” although all of
these images were associated with positive and moderately-aroused affective
states similarly across all three countries. The present study demonstrates
that the adjectives “kawaii,” “cute,” and “tierno” can be used almost
equivalently for describing babies and pets, but that the Japanese adjective “kawaii”
encompasses wider categories than the other two words.
Funding
JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP17H02651 and JP21H04897 to Hiroshi Nittono
History
Declaration of conflicts of interest
There is no conflict of interest.Corresponding author email
nittono@hus.osaka-u.ac.jpLead author country
- Japan
Lead author job role
- Higher Education Faculty 4-yr College
Lead author institution
Osaka University, JapanHuman Participants
- Yes