"100% kawaii" is a phrase used to describe something that is entirely, unapologetically, and purely cute according to Japanese aesthetic standards. It implies a high concentration of charm, innocence, and playfulness, often featuring pastel colors, soft textures, and rounded, childlike shapes.
Kawaii (Japanese: かわいい or 可愛い, [kawaiꜜi]; 'cute' or 'adorable') is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity.
What do we say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in Japanese?
In Japanese, 1 to 10 are: Ichi (1), Ni (2), San (3), Yon/Shi (4), Go (5), Roku (6), Nana/Shichi (7), Hachi (8), Kyuu/Ku (9), Juu (10), with alternative pronunciations for 4, 7, and 9 often used to avoid unlucky sounds (like shi for death or ku for suffering).
As noted above, yon (4) and nana (7) are preferred to shi and shichi. It is purported that this is because shi is also the reading of the word death (死), which makes it an unlucky reading (see tetraphobia); while shichi may sound too similar to ichi (1), shi or hachi (8).
In the common on'yomi reading system, for example, the number 3 can be pronounced san, while the number 9 can be kyu. So if someone texts you “39” or “3 9,” you can read it as “san kyu”… aka “sankyu,” a Japanese-inflected version of the English “thank you.” (You're welcome.)
The use of wwww to represent laughing comes from the Japanese wara (笑), “to laugh.” With the rise of text-messaging and the internet in the 1990s–2000s, Japanese users adapted the kanji 笑 to denote laughter, similar to LOL. People eventually found it easier, though, to use the letter w, from the romaji of 笑, wara.
There are a few adopted Japanese terms of endearment, namely ダーリン (daarin) and ハニー (hanii) that we see floating around sometimes. These correspond to the English words “darling” and “honey,” in case you hadn't guessed.
In other words, while kawaii had a negative connotation in the past, its positive meaning overrode its negative meaning, and today kawaii generally implies something good.
It can range from pastel-colored mascots or cute, personified animal characters to adorable, energetic young idols or high-pitched, honey-like Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) in cute models. Kawaii culture appeals to a huge fan base consisting of not just adult males but women and children of all ages.
The symbol 々 is called an Ideographic Iteration Mark, or informally noma (ノマ) in Japanese, and it functions as a ditto mark to repeat the preceding kanji, indicating plurality or reduplication (e.g., 人々 means hitobito, "people"). Its formal names include dōnojiten (同の字点, "same character mark") or odoriji (踊り字, "dancing character").
What do we say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in Japanese?
In Japanese, 1 to 10 are: Ichi (1), Ni (2), San (3), Yon/Shi (4), Go (5), Roku (6), Nana/Shichi (7), Hachi (8), Kyuu/Ku (9), Juu (10), with alternative pronunciations for 4, 7, and 9 often used to avoid unlucky sounds (like shi for death or ku for suffering).
You'll notice above that for the Japanese numbers 4 and 7, there are two different words. The first ones (“yon” and “nana”) are more commonly used because the word for “death” in Japanese is “shi.” Using “yon” instead will prevent other speakers from thinking you bring up death all the time in casual conversation.
It comes from the word 笑う (warau) meaning “to laugh.” So instead of typing “haha,” they just type “W”… or even “wwwww” if something's REALLY funny! And when there's too many W's… it starts to look like grass, so they even say “草 (kusa)” to mean “LOL” too! 🌿😂
