Today, Japanese culture is very popular among teenagers in our country, they are trying to learn as much as possible about this country and its traditions. The popularity of anime is growing in the world, but after watching them, many people have a huge number of questions about the meaning of certain words. In our article, we will talk about one of them - the word "kawaii". What is this concept? What does it matter? How is the word translated into Russian and what role does it play in world culture?
The word "kawaii" in Japanese is "cute", "cute", "adorable." In Japanese culture, this term can describe any object. For example, when describing an adult who demonstrates childishness or childish behavior.
Kawaii word: origin
This word, according to some scholars, is derived from the ancient Japanese words "kawaii" or "kaohayushi", which means "cute", but there is a second version, according to which, it is formed from two words - "ka", which means "pleasant "And" ah, "meaning love, sympathy.
Since the beginning of the 70s, kawaii (charm) has become a very common element of Japanese culture, clothing, toys, food, entertainment, appearance, manners and style of behavior.
Kawaii very much penetrated the country's culture, however, representatives of Western culture were very careful about this phenomenon, considering it frivolous and infantile.
Often the term is used by anime fans. And in this case, the main features of the kawaii style are the big eyes of the characters.
Value
So “kawaii” - translates as “lovely”, “cute”. Russian-speaking teenagers use the word "kawaii" in colloquial speech.
But this word has a few more meanings, for example:
- the name of the Japanese company that produces musical instruments;
- such a name bears the Japanese composer - Kawai Kenji;
- this name is the famous Japanese psychiatrist Hayao.
In addition, the mentioned word is in Swedish, where it means “jacket”, and also occurs in the toponymy of our country - in the Olonets region of the Republic of Karelia there is a village called Kavayno.
The writer Lady Murasaki in The History of Genji cited the original meaning of the described concept. In her novel, kawaii is a creature that is worthy of pity (it was about women). In this work, during the Tokugawa Shogunate period, the term changed its meaning, and they began to refer to women much better: from the status of "animals" they were transferred to "obedient housewives."
Kawaii in japan
Elements of kawaii culture are found everywhere in Japan: in small shops, large companies, government and municipal institutions. Many companies use mascots called mascots to advertise and present their products.
For instance:
- the Pokemon character Pikachu graces the sides of three planes;
- on some plastic cards of Asahi bank Miffi (character of the Dutch series of books for children) is depicted;
- Japanese mail has a mascot in the form of a stylized mailbox;
- all Japanese police units have their own kawaii - talismans that adorn police booths.
Kawaii-style souvenirs are very popular in Japan, for example, Sanrio, the world's largest producer, is known for its Hello Kitty products. Moreover, products with this character are popular both among children and adolescents, and among adults.
Japanese use kawaii style in fashion. Usually clothes of this style emphasize childishness, naivety, grace. As a rule, it is performed in pastel colors, and handbags or toys that depict cartoon characters are used as accessories.
Kawaii and japanese culture
Kawaii is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. The famous Japanese writer, author of the book "Cool Japan" Sugiyama Tomoeki, believes that the roots of "charm" lie in the very culture of the country, which respects harmony.
But there are Japanese who are very skeptical of this, considering the new-fangled trend a sign of a childish or even underdeveloped mindset. For example, Murasawa Hiroto, professor of culture and beauty at the Women's University Sein Osaka, believes that kawaii is a way of thinking that is associated with a reluctance to defend one’s point of view and be individual.
Spread around the world
Japanese souvenirs and other goods in this style are popular in China, Korea, Mongolia, Taiwan. And the very definition of "kawaii" is often used by all fans of Japanese culture and anime lovers in Europe, the United States and Russia.
The word is on the list of neologisms in the English language (compiled by the University of Paradise, Houston, USA).
In Russian, it is used in the form of "kawaii", which is more convenient for declension and modification, for example: "they talked about kawaii," "she came in kawaii clothes." But this is completely inconsistent with the rules for writing Japanese words. In Russia, in youth slang, there is also the word "kavaynost", which means "loveliness", "neatness."
It should be noted that a separate subculture has formed among adolescents and youth. They listen to Japanese music, are fond of the culture of the country, some begin to study the language. Very often this is intertwined with cosplay, the purpose of which is to accurately reproduce the costume and style of behavior of the beloved character. Fans of this trend often copy the hairstyles of the kawaii anime characters, the style of their clothes and behavior.