I have written before about ‘kawaiiness’ or cuteness in Japan before (click here to read). To me, the only things that are cute are baby animals, and some content small children. So, for me, when people here in Japan use the word kawaii about anything other than those two things, it makes me smile. I guess I’m just not a ‘cute’ kinda (=kind of) person!
Anyway, I wanted to share this picture with you which my mother sent me for Easter. (Easter is a religious holiday, like Christmas, but in the UK everyone generally ignores the religious element and just eats chocolate eggs!) Apparently, some people send Easter cards too – This is the first Easter card I have ever received! Either my mum is starting a new tradition, or more likely it was because she had just seen a baby lamb being born, then saw this card and decided to send it to me!
Now THIS IS CUTE, don’t you reckon?
NELS
TOEIC TOEFL 英検 英会話 ネルス 英語スクール 
Hi! You know about the cute culture in Japan very well! All Japanese women say ” It’s cute! ” at least once every day! If you were in the department store with your friend and looked at the various kinds of kitchenware such as a kettle, a bowel, a dish, …etc. , you would say ” I think this dish is cuter than that one.” and then your friends would say ” I think so, you should buy it. ” or ” I don’t think this dish is cuter than that one. I’m going to look for the other cute one and let you know, right?” .
The cuteness is one of the standards of buying some goods for Japanese women. But anyway, the baby lamb in the Easter card is Soo cute!!!
So a dish or kettle or bowl (not bowel – please check this 😉 !) can be cute? Really? Yes, I’m not a Japanese woman, that’s for sure!
And….not only the kitchenware, but also a door, a wardrobe, a mirror, a car, a chair, a bag, a cellphone, a blanket, …..etc. are cute for Japanese women. They think the shape, colour,pattern, …etc are cute. And even the phrases. ” That word is cute! ” ” I want to say it more cute .” ” Your tones are so cute!” Can you believe? Is that nature or nurture? I feel that might be nature.
And…… Japanese women sometimes says I want to be a cute grand mum.
It means that they want to be a gentle and soft old lady who everyone likes her. ” KAWAII OBARCHAN NI NARITAINA 〜！”
In addition, ” I want to be a KAWAII OBARCHAN! ” ⇒ not old lady such as young and middle-aged lady say it sometimes, if they are old. Oh, I found mistakes in the second line and the sixth line. The second line is : ~~~a cellphone, a blanket, …..etc. They sometimes think such things are cute.
The sixth line is : I feel it might be nature. Are they correct?
Yuria
Thank you for your comments. I am amazed that truly anything can be cute in Japan!
Your sentences are good. Well done for reviewing them and checking! When we talk about things in general we can use the plural form, such as cellphones, blankets etc.
So Japanese women want to be gentle old ladies whom everyone likes, or who are liked by everyone. How nice!
Thanks for teaching how to use the plural form. I understood.