卡通

• Pinyin: kǎ tōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 卡 = phonetic borrowing; 通 = to pass through, connect — purely phonetic here

Meaning

Cartoon; animated character or style.

A transliteration of 'cartoon' referring to animated shows, cartoon characters, or the cartoon style of drawing. Widely used for children's animation, cute merchandise, and pop culture. Often interchangeable with 动画 (animation) but 卡通 emphasizes the playful, stylized aesthetic. Collocates with 人物 (character), 形象 (image), 电影 (film).

Examples

1. 这家奶茶店的杯子上印着各种可爱的卡通形象，特别受年轻人欢迎。 This bubble tea shop has various cute cartoon characters printed on its cups — very popular with young people.
2. 他的房间贴满了卡通海报，从小就是动漫迷。 His room is covered with cartoon posters — he's been an anime fan since childhood.
3. 设计师把公司吉祥物设计成卡通风格，看起来亲切又有趣。 The designer made the company mascot in a cartoon style — it looks friendly and fun.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, design, children, pop culture

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 孩子们都喜欢看卡通片。(Kids all love watching cartoons.)
• 这个卡通形象太萌了，我想买周边。(This cartoon character is so cute — I want to buy merchandise.)

Don't Say

• 这部严肃的历史纪录片是卡通。(卡通 implies animated, stylized content — for a serious documentary, don't call it 卡通)

Origin & History

Phonetic transliteration of English 'cartoon.' Entered Chinese through Hong Kong and Taiwan media in the 20th century.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal