很可爱
hěn kě'ài
Very cute · trad. 很可愛
很可爱 (hěn kě'ài) is the standard and most common way to say "very cute" or "very adorable" in Mandarin Chinese. It can be used to describe people, animals, objects, or even situations.
What does 很可爱 (hěn kě'ài) mean?
很可爱 (hěn kě'ài) means “very cute” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “very lovable.”
When to use it
Neutral and widely applicable. For a stronger emphasis, you can use 非常可爱 (fēicháng kě'ài) meaning "extremely cute," or the exclamatory 太可爱了 (tài kě'ài le), which means "so cute!" or "too cute!" 好可爱啊 (hǎo kě'ài a) is another casual way to express "so cute!" often used with an emotional particle.
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "hun kuh-EYE." The 'hěn' is pronounced with a rising tone (like 'hé') because it comes before another third tone ('kě'). The 'kě' is a dipping third tone, and 'ài' is a falling fourth tone.
Other ways to say it
- 非常可爱fēicháng kě'àiextremely cute
- 太可爱了tài kě'ài leso cute! / too cute!
- 好可爱啊hǎo kě'ài aso cute! (casual, exclamatory)
Examples
这只小狗很可爱。
zhè zhī xiǎogǒu hěn kě'ài.
This puppy is very cute.
你的女儿很可爱。
nǐ de nǚ'ér hěn kě'ài.
Your daughter is very cute.
这个礼物很可爱，我很喜欢。
zhège lǐwù hěn kě'ài, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.
This gift is very cute, I like it a lot.
Pro tip: Tone change: When 很 (hěn, third tone) is followed by another third tone word like 可爱 (kě'ài), 很 changes to a rising second tone. So, it's pronounced 'hé kě'ài,' not 'hěn kě'ài.'
Related phrases
可爱 · Cute太可爱了 · So cute美丽 · Beautiful
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