Meaning of 可爱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- adorable
- cute
- lovely
How to use 可爱
可爱 describes babies, pets, children, small objects, and sometimes people with a charming personality. It often follows 很 or 真. Example: 这只小狗真可爱。(Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu zhēn kě'ài.) This puppy is so cute.
可 (kě) means "can" or "worthy of," and 爱 (ài) means "love." Something 可爱 is literally "worthy of love," which is why it means cute or adorable.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 可爱 to compliment an adult woman's looks when they mean beautiful. That calls for 漂亮 (piàoliang) or 美 (měi), because 可爱 suggests childlike cuteness. Also keep the third tone on 可 (kě) and the fourth tone on 爱 (ài).
可爱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
可 kě · can · 5 strokes
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爱 ài · to love · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 可爱.
| 爱好 | àihào | to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may |
| 可能 | kěnéng | might (happen); possible |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 可怕 | kěpà | awful; dreadful |
| 爱情 | àiqíng | romance; love (romantic) |
| 爱人 | àiren | spouse (PRC); lover (non-PRC) |
| 可靠 | kěkào | reliable |
| 热爱 | rè'ài | to love ardently; to adore |
| 可乐 | kělè | amusing; entertaining |
| 认可 | rènkě | to approve; approval |
| 爱心 | àixīn | compassion; kindness |
Questions about 可爱
What does 可爱 mean?
可爱 (kě'ài) means "adorable; cute" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 可爱?
可爱 is made of 2 characters: 可 (5 strokes), 爱 (10 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 可爱 an HSK word?
Yes. 可爱 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 可爱 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 可爱 is written 可愛.
Does 可 work the same way in other words like 可爱?
Yes. 可 plus a verb often means "worth doing" or "causing that feeling." For example, 可怕 (kěpà) is "fear-worthy," so it means scary or awful.
Can 可爱 be used for men or boys?
Yes. It is common for boys and children, and friends may call a man 可爱 to mean he is sweet or endearing. For a handsome adult man, 帅 (shuài) is the usual word.