@Toritoribe: Mmmm... not so recently coined a word. My Japanese-speaking mom would use this word in the 60's into the 80's. Its connotation is to be very well put-together (neat, smart), and chic and cute at the same time. Might well be the equivalent of what we used to call a "snappy" dresser in American English. Any other ideas?
Oh, I get it. Hm, still nothing ringing a bell, though. I had always remembered it as Mou tai nai, but I just learned that that is a phrase for when something shouldn't be wasted, right?
Oh, I get it. Hm, still nothing ringing a bell, though. I had always remembered it as Mou tai nai, but I just learned that that is a phrase for when something shouldn't be wasted, right?
Exactly. Think about it a bit and you will probably see for yourself how it fits. It is functionally the equivalent of "If only I were XX years younger!" that we use in English to express admiration for the attractiveness of someone whose age is so much younger than our own that a romantic relationship is out of the question.
It wasn't meant as an analogy. It was an explanation of the sense in which "mottainai" is used. It does NOT have a universal meaning of "cute", "attractive", "stylish", etc and depending on the situation could even be taken as an INSULT, so please don't think it is something appropriate to throw around willy-nilly as a compliment.