構ってちゃん

Japanese

Kanji in this term
構
かま Grade: 5
kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 構(かま)って (kamatte, te-form of the verb 構(かま)う (kamau, “to take care, look after”), acting as a light imperative) + ちゃん (-chan, “-ie, -y”, suffix of endearment), referring to a person as if saying "Take care of me."

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かま​ってちゃん [kàmáꜜttèchàǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ma̠t̚te̞t͡ɕã̠ɴ]

Noun

構(かま)ってちゃん • (kamattechan) 

1. (slang) person repeating words or actions that draw attention in order to get approval and be treated kindly; attention seeker

Usage notes

• This term is often spelled in hiragana, as かまってちゃん.