How to say “cute” in Chinese

'ài
cute

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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Word by word

-able / worth
ài
love

Tone tip

Literally 'lovable'. The apostrophe in kě'ài marks two separate syllables (kě + ài), not one 'kei'. Dip on 可, then a crisp fall on 爱. 好可爱 (hǎo kě'ài), 'so cute', is what you'll hear most.

In a sentence

Nǐ de māo hǎo kě'ài!

Your cat is so cute!

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "cute" in Chinese?+

"cute" in Mandarin Chinese is 可爱, pronounced kě'ài. Literally 'lovable'. The apostrophe in kě'ài marks two separate syllables (kě + ài), not one 'kei'. Dip on 可, then a crisp fall on 爱. 好可爱 (hǎo kě'ài), 'so cute', is what you'll hear most.

What does 可爱 mean literally?+

可爱 breaks down as 可 (kě) = -able / worth, 爱 (ài) = love. Together it means "cute".

How do I get the tones right in kě'ài?+

Literally 'lovable'. The apostrophe in kě'ài marks two separate syllables (kě + ài), not one 'kei'. Dip on 可, then a crisp fall on 爱. 好可爱 (hǎo kě'ài), 'so cute', is what you'll hear most.

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See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.