Though kawaii is now used worldwide, as a Japanese man, I do not use the word very often. Because it is a word frequently used by girls or ladies.
But I can tell you the usage of the word.
This is how I（ or Japanese people）use kawaii.
I use kawaii for…
・something small（includes almost anything such as food, household goods, or plants）
・a baby（includes male and female）
・a puppy or an other baby animal
・a girl, a boy, a lady
・a grown female
These are typical kawaii stuff.
I do not use kawaii for…
・something big
・a grown man
・scenary
・weather
・countries
Interestingly, though I do not use kawaii for scenery, I do use kirei or utsukushii（beautiful）.
This is an utsukushii view.（not kawaii view）
kawaii said by a man to a lady could mean something else
Kawaii for a lady is surely a compliment.
But if you are a man, and say the word to a lady, it can imply something else.
The lady might think you are trying to hit on her.
This is like saying in English “You are pretty.” or “You are beautiful.”
I am not an Englsh speaker, so I don’t exactly understand how these phrases sounds to a lady. I guess they imply hitting on her, don’t they？
