Okay, this is a little hard to define, but “moe” is basically another term for “cute” or something along that line. It’s used quite a bit by us otakus mainly for female anime or game characters, though it has been used for male bishounen type characters (watch Ouran Hiigh School Host Club for that).
Bishounen? ← Another word I’m not familiar with, would you mind translating for me?
Bishounen basically means “pretty boy”, it’s used to describe male anime and game characters who are effeminate looking
CDP5280, you’ll find that it is an occasionally very confusing practice to use bits of romanized Japanese (Romanji) to describe anime concepts or Japanese cultural concepts. Some of it is simply because there isn’t a good English word that describes the same concept, such as bishounen, chibi, and moe. Some of it I still don’t understand such as using “kawaii” instead of cute or ending a question with “neh” if you’re expecting agreement. It takes some time to pick up on it, just hang in there. If you subscribe to and read Peter Payne’s e-mail blog, it helps clarify some things.
kawaii is to describe something that is super-cute (since i suppose super or extemely cute doesn’t cut it).
moe also generally refers to a loli character or one who particularly emphasizes a cute younger girl.
[ 09-03-2007, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: Jinnai ]
“kawaii” is just cute, not “super”, “extremely” or anything. Just “cute”.
“Moe” is harder to explain. Originally, it referred to the irresistible upbeat feeling (“dokidoki”) which would make one’s heart melt when thinking/looking at a moe character. As such, it’s pretty indescribable since very relative to each person. Nowadays, it almost lost all real meaning, since it’s an all-encompassing word to describe just about everything “otakuish” thing.
Technically, it has nothing to do with “loli character or one who particularly emphasizes a cute younger girl”, though this kind of character are more susceptible to generate such a feeling.
[ 09-04-2007, 05:39 AM: Message edited by: OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol ]
You obviously are not in the same groups i am. People will distinquish kawaii from cute along similar such lines.
If you are talking literally, you are correct, but contextually you aren’t.
¬Åw¬â¬à¬§¬Ç¬¢¬Åx means ‘cute’. I couldn’t care less about the meaning Wapanese people give to it. It’s completely retarded to use it in an English sentence, to start, since there’s a perfect equivalent in the English language. ¬Åw¬Ç√†¬Ç¬¶¬Åx, I can understand, because it’s so hard to define anyway, finding a perfect equivalence in the English language could be challenging, but ¬Åw¬â¬à¬§¬Ç¬¢¬Åx?
It’s useful in an english sentence because it is far more fun to squeal ‘kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!’ in a high pitched voice than ‘cuuuuuuuuuuuuute!’ There’s a difference in the mental associations between the two vowels. ‘oooo’ is less squealy than ‘eeeee’.
If the sentence has no need for squealing, then it has no need for the word.
papillion, I will have to take your word for it as I’ve never been one for squealing. Reminds me too much of that scene from Deliverance… “Squeal like a pig!” shudders
You’re probably not a girl. 
<bounces up and down and makes excited SQUEE! noises>
Why? The English language is based almost entirely off of loan words.
It hardly makes it a good reason to “create” new words when perfectly valid word with the same meaning already exist.
And even less when it’s done because it’s “cool” as in “oh, it’s a foreign word so it makes me look sooooo intelligent and different because I know it!”
[ 09-05-2007, 07:41 AM: Message edited by: OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol ]
i am going to stand on olf’s side this time. kawaii is really nothing more than just a simple “cute”
and please guys, dont turn this into a flame war…
Aye… this is going down the off topic road. Therefore, as per the Rules of Narg Warfare, I claim this thread in the name of twincest. And since its my own thread, I’m gonna supersize it!
WITNESS MY POWER!!!
edit by lamuness: witness my power my ass 
[ 09-05-2007, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: Lamuness ]
ack. images too big. can no longer read any posts in the thread because board stretched out of shape.
witness my power my ass
the images are too big
[quote]
Originally posted by Lamuness:
[b] witness my power my ass
[ 09-05-2007, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Nargrakhan ]
no, that will only make me lock this thread and ban your account
witness my power