Meaning:

“哈基米” is not a native Chinese word, but the Chinese pronunciation of a meme from Japanese “hachimi.” It is now used by Chinese netizens as the synonym for cute adorable creatures in the animal kingdom, especially those with that special nerdy charm.

The word originates from a piece of soundtrack created by a content creator on Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili, with the enchanting tune from Japanese anime “Clannad” and the lyrics from another series “Pretty Derby.” “Hachimi” in the lyric refers to a delicious honey drink, the favorite beverage of a charming character in “Pretty Derby.”

Chinese social media users embraced the heartwarming soundtrack embedded in countless cat videos that just melt your heart. The phenomenon was unstoppable — “hachimi” became the go-to term for all things small, fluffy, and irresistibly cute.

Example:

A: 你看了暑期大片《封神》吗？

Nǐ kànle shǔqī dàpiàn “Fēng Shén” ma？

Did you watch the latest summer blockbuster “Creation of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms?”

B: 看了,我太喜欢里面的狐妖妲己了。在这部电影里，她就像纣王的哈基米一样，实在讨人喜欢。

Kànle, wǒ tài xǐhuan lǐmiàn de húyāo Dájǐ le。Zài zhèbù diànyǐng lǐ, tā jiùxiàng Zhòuwáng de hājīmǐ yíyàng, shízài tǎorén xǐhuān。

Yes, I did. I just love the fox spirit Daji and the actress Naran who plays the role. She looks just like a hachimi of King Zhou, doesn’t she?