20 cute and kawaii Perler bead patterns, most with a tiny smiling face: food, round little animals, easy shapes and a few creepy cute designs. Every card shows how many beads of each color you need, and every pattern fits on one large pegboard. Download a printable chart, or open any pattern in the pattern maker to resize it or switch to Hama or Artkal colors.
Five easy kawaii Perler bead patterns with only three or four colors each: a smiling sun, a ringed planet, a raindrop, a happy tooth and a pink bow. They use 103 to 130 beads, so they’re a good first try at kawaii.
A cheerful yellow sun with orange rays and rosy cheeks. Hang it in a sunny window or stick it on the fridge.
7.5 × 7.5 cm (3 × 3 in)
A lavender planet with a golden ring around its middle and a happy little face. A sweet pick for space fans.
8.5 × 5.5 cm (3.3 × 2.2 in)
A blue raindrop with a shiny highlight and a smile. Make it with the smiling sun for a little weather set.
5.5 × 7.5 cm (2.2 × 3 in)
A smiling white tooth with pink cheeks. A fun gift for a kid who just lost one, or for your favorite dentist.
6 × 7 cm (2.4 × 2.8 in)
A coquette pink bow with long ribbon tails. No face on this one, but it makes any bag or hair clip look kawaii.
7.5 × 6 cm (3 × 2.4 in)
Cute food with smiling faces is the heart of kawaii. Onigiri, salmon nigiri, toast, a macaron, a pudding and a carton of strawberry milk: these kawaii food Perler bead patterns use 114 to 173 beads each and make sweet fridge magnets.
A rice ball wrapped in nori, with a tiny smile. Pair it with the salmon nigiri for a bento set.
7.5 × 6.5 cm (3 × 2.6 in)
A striped slice of salmon on a smiling block of rice.
8.5 × 5 cm (3.3 × 2 in)
A slice of toast with a golden crust and a happy face. Add a few yellow beads on top for a pat of butter.
7 × 6 cm (2.8 × 2.4 in)
A mint macaron with a cream filling and a little face on the top shell. Make it in pink or lavender too for a whole box.
7.5 × 6.5 cm (3 × 2.6 in)
A custard pudding with caramel dripping down the sides, sitting on a pale blue plate.
7.5 × 6 cm (3 × 2.4 in)
A carton of strawberry milk with a strawberry on the label and a blushing face.
6 × 7.5 cm (2.4 × 3 in)
A panda, a hamster, an axolotl, a capybara with an orange on its head and a calico cat loaf, all round and soft-looking with tiny faces. These kawaii animal Perler bead patterns use 107 to 163 beads each.
A round panda face with big black eye patches, a tiny nose and pink cheeks.
7.5 × 6.5 cm (3 × 2.6 in)
A chubby apricot hamster with a white tummy, rosy cheeks and tiny pink paws.
7.5 × 6.5 cm (3 × 2.6 in)
A pink axolotl with frilly gills and a wide, happy smile.
8.5 × 4.5 cm (3.3 × 1.8 in)
A calm capybara with an orange balanced on its head, the internet’s favorite chill animal.
7.5 × 7 cm (3 × 2.8 in)
A calico cat tucked into a loaf shape, with one orange ear, one black ear and a pink nose.
8 × 6 cm (3.1 × 2.4 in)
Kawaii with a spooky side, in pastel goth colors: a skull with a pink bow, a little bat, a coffin with a heart and a potion bottle. These creepy cute Perler bead patterns use 100 to 138 beads each and work for Halloween or all year round.
A white skull with a pink bow and rosy cheeks. Creepy and cute at the same time.
6 × 5.5 cm (2.4 × 2.2 in)
A purple bat with its wings spread, two little fangs and pink cheeks.
9.5 × 4.5 cm (3.7 × 1.8 in)
A lavender coffin with a pink heart and a shy little face.
5.5 × 8 cm (2.2 × 3.1 in)
A round potion bottle full of pink liquid, with a cork, a few bubbles and a smiling face.
5.5 × 7.5 cm (2.2 × 3 in)
Kawaii is Japanese for “cute”. In bead art it comes down to a few small habits you can use on any design.
Two black eyes, set low and wide apart, with a tiny mouth between them. A plain shape turns into a character right away.
Put one pink bead just below and outside each eye. Blush is the pink most of these patterns use.
Leave the corner bead off a square shape and it already looks softer and squishier.
Light pink, mint, lavender and pale yellow keep everything soft. Save black for the eyes and mouth so the face stands out.
Practice on a simple shape: add a face to the heart or the star from our easy Perler bead patterns for beginners.
Glue a small magnet on the back. The food patterns are made for this, and a whole row of them looks like a tiny café.
The narrow ones, like the raindrop, coffin and potion bottle, are only 11 beads wide. Keep a bead hole open near the top for the ring.
Glue a pin back to the flat side. The creepy cute designs look great on a denim jacket.
Make pairs for best friends: the onigiri and the salmon nigiri, or the sun and the raindrop.
Want them even smaller? Our small Perler bead patterns have a whole group of cute faces, all 14 × 14 beads or smaller.
Eyes, mouth and cheeks are only a bead or two each, and one peg off makes the face look wonky. Put them down first, centered, then fill in around them.
White and pastel beads show dirt and dust easily. Wash your hands first and keep these colors in closed containers.
Iron until the beads just stick together. Too much heat flattens the beads, and a face made of so few beads quickly loses its shape.
Iron the front, let it cool flat under a book, then flip it and iron the back so the piece stays strong and flat.
Not sure about heat and timing? Follow our step-by-step ironing guide.
Upload a doodle or any picture and get a Perler bead pattern in real Perler, Hama or Artkal colors, with an exact bead list and a printable chart. Simple pictures with bold outlines work best.
Kawaii is Japanese for “cute”. In bead art it usually means simple, rounded shapes with a tiny face: two dark eyes, a small mouth and pink cheeks, often on food or animals.
Start with the easy group. The smiling sun, ringed planet, raindrop, happy tooth and pink bow use only three or four colors and 103 to 130 beads each, so there’s very little to sort.
Yes: six of them, the onigiri, salmon nigiri, toast, macaron, pudding and strawberry milk. They make great fridge magnets, and the onigiri and the salmon nigiri go together as a bento set.
Yes. The raindrop, coffin and potion bottle are only 11 beads wide. For even smaller ones, our small patterns page has a cute group where every design is 14 × 14 beads or smaller.
Yes. Every pattern here fits on one large square pegboard (29 × 29 pegs). The widest is the little bat, at 19 beads.
Yes. Hama Midi and Artkal S beads are the same size as Perler beads. Open any pattern in the pattern maker and switch the bead brand to get matching color names and codes.
Yes. Every pattern here is an original meltybit design, free to download and print for your own projects and gifts. No sign-up needed.