# 可愛
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): kě'ài
    (Zhuyin): ㄎㄜˇ ㄞˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): ho$^2$ oi$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): khó-oi
    (Hailu, HRS): ko$^ˊ$ oi$^ˇ$
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): kor$^3$ ai$^4$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): khóⁿ-ài / khó-ài
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ko$^2$ ain$^3$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$khu-e$_5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: kě'ài
*** Zhuyin: ㄎㄜˇ ㄞˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: kě-ài
*** Wade–Giles: kʻo$^3$-ai$^4$
*** Yale: kě-ài
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: keeay
*** Palladius: кэай (kɛaj)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀaɪ̯⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ho$^2$ oi$^3$
*** Yale: hó oi
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ho$^2$ oi$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ho$^2$ oi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɔː³⁵ ɔːi̯³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khó-oi
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˋ$ oi
*** Hagfa Pinyim: ko$^3$ oi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo³¹ oi̯⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˊ$ oi$^ˇ$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo²⁴⁻³³ oi¹¹/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: kor$^3$ ai$^4$ [Phonetic: kor$^5$ ai$^4$]
*** Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: kô̤-a̍i
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɒ⁴⁵³⁻²¹ ai⁴²/
** (Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: kor$^3$ ai$^4$ [Phonetic: kor$^5$ ai$^4$]
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɒ³³²⁻²¹ ai⁴²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khóⁿ-ài
*** Tâi-lô: khónn-ài
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qvofaix
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰɔ̃⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ai⁴¹/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó-ài
*** Tâi-lô: khó-ài
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qoyaix
*** IPA (Taipei): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ai¹¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ai²¹/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ai²¹/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ko$^2$ ain$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khó àiⁿ
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ ãĩ²¹³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$khu-e$_5$
*** MiniDict: khu$^去$ e$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$khu-e$_2$
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kʰu³³ e⁴⁴/

### Adjective

可愛
* cute; adorable; lovable
       Tā juéde nǐ de gǒu hěn kě'ài. [Pinyin]
       He thinks your dog is very cute.
* (Internet slang, ACG, of a male) feminine; effeminate

#### Synonyms

* (cute):
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 可愛 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 可疼, 可人疼, 可愛 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 可愛 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 可愛 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 喜歡人, 喜人 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 心疼, 得人愛 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 愛人, 逗人愛, 乖 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 逗人疼, 逗人喜歡 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 討喜 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 心疼人 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 得人愛, 得人中意, 得意 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 得意 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 得意 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 得人愛 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 討人喜歡 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 得人惜 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 得人惜, 卡哇伊 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 粘人, 惜人, 親, 奇特 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 好惜, 得人怒 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 好疼 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 得儂疼, 古錐, 古傑 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 得儂疼, 古錐 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 得儂疼, 得儂惜, 古錐 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 得儂疼, 得儂惜, 古錐 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 趣味 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 古錐 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 古錐, 得儂疼 |
| Southern Min | Datian | 得儂惜 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 好惜 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 好惜, 得儂惜, 可愛 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 好惜 |
| Southern Min | Puning | 好惜, 趣味, 可愛 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 討人喜歡 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 有趣, 有趣相 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 逗人愛, 帶愛相, 愛人 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 帶愛相, 乖 |

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “cute”): 可惡／可恶 (kěwù), 可憎 (kězēng)

### Noun

可愛
* (colloquial) cutie; cutie pie; darling
       Nǐ shì wǒ de xiǎo kě'ài. [Pinyin]
       You're my little cutie.

#### Synonyms

* 圞心 / 𪢮心 (lonn$^2$ sin$^1$) (Xiang)
* 圞心蒂子 / 𪢮心蒂子 (lonn$^2$ sin$^1$ di$^4$ zr) (Xiang)
* 寶寶 / 宝宝
* 寶貝 / 宝贝 (bǎobèi)
* 小心肝 (xiǎoxīngān) (figurative)
* 心肝 (xīngān) (figurative)
* 心肝寶貝 / 心肝宝贝 (xīngān bǎobèi)
* 甜心 (tiánxīn)
* 親愛的 / 亲爱的 (qīn'ài de)

### Descendants

* → Japanese: 可(か)愛(あい) (kāi)
* → Korean: 가애(可愛) (gaae)
* → Vietnamese: khả ái (可愛)

### See also

* (Japanese) 可愛(かわい)い (kawaii)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 可 | 愛 |

### Adjective

可愛
* chữ Hán form of khả ái (“lovable, likable, nice”).