Writing
可爱 (kě ài) — how to say "cute" in Chinese
可爱
Cute
adjective
Character composition
can, possible
to love
Radicals / Keys
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
Claw
#87 · zhǎo · 4 strokes
Collocations
可爱的孩子
kě'ài de háizi
cute child
可爱的小猫
kě'ài de xiǎomāo
cute kitten
Examples
她笑起来有两个酒窝,看起来特别可爱。
She has two dimples when she smiles, she looks especially cute.
这只小猫真可爱。
This kitten is so cute.
Mnemonic

[kě ài-] Captain Aye spies a 可 cute dolphin 🐬 performing tricks, leaping through a heart-shaped hoop with "爱 can love" written on it. Captain Aye chuckles and exclaims: "Ahoy! This dolphin is truly 可爱 cute!"
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "cute" in Chinese?
"cute" in Chinese is 可爱 (kě ài).
可爱 meaning in English
可爱 (kě ài) means "Cute".
Cute in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced kě ài (written as ke ai, keai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "cute" in Chinese characters?
It is written 可爱: 可 has 5 strokes, 爱 has 10 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 可爱?
可爱 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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