Kawaii doodles: the rules and 15 to draw
Kawaii doodles follow a few simple rules: round shapes, a tiny face set low, two blush marks and as few lines as possible. Learn the rules below, then practice them on 15 kawaii foods, animals and everyday things.
The kawaii rules
- Round everything. No sharp corners, even on a slice of toast or a star.
- Put the face low and small. The eyes sit halfway down or lower, far apart.
- Eyes are dots or short arcs. A tiny white shine dot in each one adds sparkle.
- Keep the mouth tiny: a small u, a w or an open o.
- Add blush: two small ovals or three short dashes under each eye.
- Stubby limbs or none. Little nubs for arms, no fingers.
- Thick, even outlines. If you color, use flat pastels.
These rules turn almost anything kawaii. For more subjects to try them on, see cute doodles.
Kawaii food
- Rice ball A rounded triangle with a band of seaweed across the bottom. Eyes and blush just above the band, the mouth a tiny w.
- Sushi roll Seen from the top: a circle inside a circle, with a few dots in the middle for the filling. The face goes on the white ring.
- Milk carton A tall box with a peaked top. Round every corner and put the face low on the front.
- Dango Three circles stacked on a stick, each with a different face: happy, sleepy, surprised.
- Pudding A short dome with a flat top and a drip of caramel over the edge. Draw it with a wobble line on each side.
Kawaii animals
- Cat in a box A square box with only the head showing: a circle, two round-tipped ears and two paws over the edge.
- Seal A long bean lying down with two tiny flippers and a dotted muzzle. Keep it almost featureless; that’s the charm.
- Axolotl A wide oval head with three soft frills on each side and a tiny smile. Pale pink if you color it.
- Chick in an eggshell A round head popping out of a shell with a zigzag top, plus a tiny beak and blush.
- Panda A circle head with two round black ears and two black ovals tilted down for eye patches, with a white dot in each for the eyes.
Kawaii everyday things
- Teacup A wide cup on a saucer with a teabag tag hanging over the side. Let the steam curl into a heart.
- Raincloud A puffy cloud with a pouting mouth and three teardrop raindrops under it.
- Planet A round planet wearing a tilted ring like a hula hoop, with a happy face on the front.
- Bandage A rounded rectangle with a square pad in the middle. The face goes on the pad.
- Mushroom A wide dome cap with three big spots and a short stem. The face goes on the stem, with blush.
Kawaii creatures on your photos
Tada, an iPhone app, gives you two ways to do it. Both save to Photos as a Live Photo.
- Draw: draw a kawaii character on the photo with your finger, then choose Make it cute and AI turns your lines into a cute doodle that moves. It redraws only your lines, never your photo. Or choose My lines to keep your own drawing, wiggling like a hand-drawn cartoon, for free.
- Pocket Pals: an AI look in Add effects that adds a family of three small original creatures made from what’s in your photo, like coffee-bean critters by a drink or leaf sprites by a plant, in a flat kawaii cartoon style. Your photo stays exactly as it is and the creatures move. Pick it and tap Make it.
Make it cute and Pocket Pals use 1 AI tada each (you get 3 free). For an AI look, your photo is sent to Tada’s AI partners; Tada asks before your first one. See privacy. If you’d rather place ready-made characters, see kawaii stickers.
Questions
What does kawaii mean?
Kawaii is Japanese for cute. In drawing, it means round shapes, small faces set low, blush and simple, thick lines.
How do you draw kawaii eyes?
Two solid dots or ovals, far apart and low on the face, each with a tiny white circle for shine. For happy or sleepy eyes, use short upside-down arcs instead.
How can I add kawaii characters to my photos?
In Tada, draw them on the photo with Draw and choose Make it cute, or use the Pocket Pals look, which adds three small kawaii creatures made from what’s in your photo. Both use AI and 1 AI tada each.