The Problem With Speaking “Asian”
Asia currently boasts 48 countries, which means there are 48 different Asian languages, right? Wrong. There are 2,300 languages, each one unique. That’s why it sounds more than a little misinformed to command anyone to “speak Asian” or assume all Asian people are from the same place or share the same culture.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about how cringe it is to walk up to someone and call them “kawaii.” The phrase means “cute” in Japanese. In Japan, walking up to a stranger to tell them they’re cute would earn you some uncomfortable stares, so take our expert advice and do it outside of Japan either.