Origin of the Word “Kawaii”
Etymologically, Kawaii is derived from Kawa Hayushi (face blushed). The expression, first appearing around the 11th century, which originally means “to be embarrassed, or to be ashamed.” Kawa Hayushi phonologically changed into Kawayui, which means “to be ashamed, to feel awkward” in th 12th century, and consequently acquired the meaning such as “to feel bad about something/somebody,” and became associated with “pitiable qualities.” The other derivation of Kawa Hayushi is “Kawaisou” (pitiable, poor, miserable). Kawaii as lovable, pretty, or cute appeared as late as 16th century. Thus, it can be said that Kawaii evokes our tender feelings based on pity.
Inuhiko Yomota, a well-known cultural critic, is also interested in Kawaii, and published an introductory book on Kawaii(4) in 2006. Yomota skillfully summarizes Kawaii as follows: Kawaii is something/somebody small, innocent, weak, immature, incomplete, ephemeral; something/somebody you want to protect. He also adds kawaii is something/somebody that stops time, deferring growth or maturity.
Kawaii is, thus, something or somebody with which or with whom you want to have a relationship. It might easily inspire the banal dichotomy such as protector/protected, ruler/ruled, controller/controlled; but Kawaii also has power over you. Since Kawaii is incomplete and immature, therefore, Kawaii is something you cannot completely understand or grasp, which ultimately opens up to the door to uncanniness. We will come back to this point later.
Now let us think about Hello Kitty. She is born and raised in a London suburb with her wonderful family, a nuclear family with her father, mother and her twin sister, Mimmy, who spends most of the time out of the spotlights. Hello Kitty lives in a lovely house with a Persian cat, charmy, as her own pet. She’s small (her height is, according to her official profile, around five-apples tall), and she is probably innocent and immature. If we follow those Kawaii criteria that Yomota offers in his study, Hello Kitty is the embodiment of Kawaii.
Kawaii and amae
Now look at the Hello Kitty family. And you will probably see something weird about this family. The adults—father, mother, grandfather and grandmother— they all fully smile as you can see their eyes closed, which is a cultural symbol of a smiling. Kitty (as well as her sister Mimmy), to the contrast, have a blank face without a mouth. Sanrio is the company behind Hello Kitty. Sanrio’s official explanation on Kitty’s deadpan expression, in fact, acutely divulges the secret of Kawaii. Kitty’s mouthless face is, according to Sanrio, for sharing the feeling of the person she is with. When you are happy, Hello Kitty is also happy. Likewise, when you are sad, Hello Kitty understands your feeling. If Hello Kitty mirrors your feelings, then Kitty is not the object to be dominated, but rather you can identify with her.
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