Glossary of anime and manga

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Anime and manga fans outside of Japan have adopted many Japanese words and phrases. Some of these words have been misinterpreted, reinterpreted or undergone significant change in meaning. In addition, a variety of terms relating to anime and manga and the associated fandom have arisen, either by translation/transliteration from Japanese or as part of the shared slang or jargon of the subculture.

In some cases English and Japanese have contributed in complex ways to the formation of new words in either or both languages (e.g. Hentai—"H"—Ecchi).

Other subcultures have also adopted Japanese loan-words through contact with fans of such media as anime and manga.

In addition, there are a great many Japanese words and phrases that fans and the curious will come across in relation to anime and manga.

A

Ahoge (アホ毛^?)

A single strand of hair that sticks out of a character's head. It literally means "stupid hair" and indicates that the character is usually stupid in some way. However, there are exceptions to this, so it is not a rule. It differs from antenna hair, in which there are two or more locks of hair sticking up as opposed to one. Characters that have an ahoge include Himeko Katagiri from Pani Poni, Konata Izumi from Lucky Star, Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist (although he is one of the exceptions), Megumi Momono from Mahoraba, Kenji Harima from School Rumble, Tomoe Yoh from Starry Sky and the Italy brothers, and a few other characters from Hetalia: Axis Powers and Shun Kazami from Bakugan.

Anime (アニメ^?)

Any animation produced in or originating from Japan. Shorthand for Japanese animation.

Anime music video

Often abbreviated AMV, video clips from at least one anime series arranged to fit a musical piece playing in the background.^[1]

Aniparo (アニパロ^?)

Literally, "anime parody" - anime characters being used by fans in a parodic way.^[2]

B

Bakunyū (爆乳^?)

is a genre of pornographic media focusing on the depiction of women with large breasts.^[3] The word can be literally translated to "bursting breasts".^[4] Bakunyū is a sub-genre within the genre of hentai anime.^[5]

Bara (薔薇^?)

Literally, "rose". "Bara" refers to a masculine gay men's culture and in manga circles a genre of manga about beefcakey gay men usually by gay men. Compare with the female-created Boys' Love.

Bishōjo (美少女^?)

Literally, "pretty girl". Often used to describe any young attractive woman, but also used to imply sexual availability (as in "bishōjo games").

Bishōnen (美少年^?)

"Beautiful boy"—Japanese aesthetic concept of the ideally beautiful young man. Androgynous, effeminate or gender ambiguous. In Japan it refers to youth with such characteristics, but in the west has become a generic term for attractively androgynous males of all ages.

Bishie

Bishōnen

Boys' Love (ボーイズラブ, Bōizu Rabu^?)

male homosexual content aimed at women, current, generally used in Japan to cover yaoi and shōnen-ai.

C

Catgirl (猫娘, Nekomusume^?)

Character with cat ears and a cat tail, but an otherwise human body. These characters often have feline habits, claw-like nails, and occasionally show fangs. Emotional expressions are also feline in nature, such as an exaggerated fur-standing-on-end when startled. These characteristics are also sometimes used on guys as well as in the case of the characters of Loveless, Kyo Sohma of Fruits Basket, and Ikuto Tsukiyomi of Shugo Chara!.

Chibi (チビ,ちび^?)

Japanese word meaning "shorty" or "little one". Due to Sailor Moon and mistranslation, in America it is sometimes used to mean super deformed.

Comiket (コミケット, Comiketto^?)

Comics Market (コミックマーケット, Komikku Māketto^?)—World's largest comic convention held semi-annually in Tokyo, Japan for producers and fans of Dōjinshi (see the franchise Comic Party).

D

Dandere (ダンデルェ?^?)

When a character who is usually asocial (see also Antisocial, Asocial), that eventually changes to display their sweet and loving side. (see also Tsundere, Yandere and Kūdere))

Dere Dere (デレデレ?^?)

Meaning to become 'lovey dovey' (see also Tsundere and Yandere)

Dōjinshi (同人誌^?)

Any amateurly produced work. A common misconception is that dōjinshi are fanmade (i.e. parody) and manga - this is not necessarily the case.

Dōseiaisha (同性愛者^?)

Same-sex-loving person (Terminology).

Dub (吹き替え, fukikae^?)

When the voices in an anime are changed into another language from its native language.

E

Ecchi (エッチ, etchi^?)

The Japanese Pronunciation of the letter "H". It represents the first letter in the word "Hentai" and can refer to anything ranging between mildly erotic manga and anime to unwarranted sexual behavior.

Enjo kōsai (援助交際^?)

"Compensated dating" which may at times border on quasi-legal prostitution. High school girls are paid by older men to take them out for a night on the town, possibly with sex included.

Eyecatch (アイキャッチ, aikyatchi^?)

A scene or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break in a Japanese TV program, similar to how "bumpers" into/out of commercial breaks are used in the United States.

Eroge (エロゲー^?)

An eroge (エロゲー, erogē^?), a portmanteau of erotic game (エロチックゲーム, erochikku gēmu^?), is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Not to be confused with Galge. Eroge were originated from Galge that added with Adult content that rated 18+.

F

Fan fiction (ファン フィクション, fan fikushon^?)

A general story written by fans of media, including anime. Story or piece of fiction written by fans of a production.

Fan service (ファンサービス, Fan Sābisu^?)

Elements specifically included to amuse (such as in-jokes, visual puns) or titillate the audience that are unnecessary to plot development.^[6]

Fansub

Short for fan-subtitled—A film or video in which fans have translated and subtitled the dialogue into another language.^[1]

Fujoshi (腐女子^?)

A female yaoi (やおい^?) fan; "rotten woman".^[7]

Futanari (ふたなり^?)

Characters that appear to be women (face, breasts, hips, narrow waist), but have both female and male genitalia.

G

Gakuran (学ラン^?)

Uniform for middle school and high school boys in Japan. The gakuran is derived from Prussian army uniforms.

Galge (ギャルゲ^?)

Girl games. This is "a type of Japanese video game centered around interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience.

Ganguro (顔黒, ガングロ^?)

Literally "black face". A fashion trend among Japanese girls. The look consists of bleached hair, a deep tan, both black and white eyeliners, false eyelashes, platform shoes, and brightly colored outfits.

Gei (ゲイ^?)

Transliteration of gay. Etymology.

Gei comi (ゲイコミ, geikomi^?)

manga with male homosexual themes, by men for men. Compare with yaoi, shōnen-ai, June and BL.

Girls with guns

The term "girls-with-guns" is also used in reference to anime series and works inspired or influenced by it.

Gothicana

A serenade, with Gothic traits, such as black rose petals/ all attending wearing predominately black.

Gothloli (ゴスロリ, Gosurori^?)

Gothic Lolita—A fashion trend where girls and young women dress in the style of elaborate porcelain dolls.

H

Hentai (変態, ヘンタイ^?)

"Abnormal" or "perverted". Used by Western Audiences to refer to sexually explicit or pornographic anime and manga.^[1] However, in Japan the term used to refer to the same material is typically Poruno or Ero.

Hikikomori (引き籠もり, ひきこもり, 引きこもり^?)

A hikikomori is someone who secludes themselves within their home, sometimes refusing to leave their home at all in an effort to isolate themselves from society. It can be viewed as a social phobia similar to agoraphobia. Hikikomori are often associated with otaku but the terms are distinct.

I

Iinchō (委員長^?)

Short for gakkyū iinchō (学級委員長^?), the class representative in a Japanese school.

Imōto (妹^?)

younger sister.

J

Josei (女性^?)

Lit. "Woman"; Anime and Manga intended for the adult female demographic.^[1]

Juné, also written as June

a manga or text story with male homosexual themes for women written in an aesthetic (耽美, tanbi^?) style, named for the Juné magazine.

K

Kemono (獣, けもの, ケモノ^?)

"Beast"—A genre of Japanese art and character design that prominently features animal-like fictional characters in human-like settings (Anthropomorphism) and situations. (see The Cat Returns, c.f. Furry fandom)

Kemonomimi (獣耳, けものミミ, ケモノミミ^?)

Characters with animal features such as ears and a tail, but a human body. Catgirl also falls under this concept. Examples include many of the characters of Loveless, Boris Airay, Peter White, Elliot March, and Pierce Villers of Alice in the Country of Hearts, Ikuto Tsukiyomi and Yoru of Shugo Chara!, and most of the characters of Dog Days.

Kodomo or Kodomomuke (子供向け^?)

Anime and manga for children of both genders.^[1]

Kogal (コギャル, kogyaru^?)

A subculture of girls and young women, the kogal "look" roughly approximates a sun-tanned California Valley girl.

Komiketto (コミケット^?)

Genericised form of Comiket (Comics Market).

Kūdere (クーデレ^?)

A character type, mostly of a female character, who is normally cold and unassuming but later reveals a softer and kinder side. See Tsundere.

L

Lemon (レモン, Remon^?)

derived from the hentai anthology series Cream Lemon (くりいむレモン, Kurīmu Remon^?). Material with explicit sexual content (not to be confused with the slang term for Lesbian in some English speaking cultures).

Lolicon (ロリコン, rorikon^?)

A genre of manga and anime wherein childlike female characters are depicted in an erotic manner.^[1] In Japan it is also a slang term for "pedophile".

Loli-Goth

Gothloli (ゴスロリ, Gosurori^?)—Gothic Lolita (ゴシック・ロリータ, Goshikku Rorīta^?).

M

MAD Movie (MAD動画, maddo dōga^?)

A Japanese fan-made video, much like an anime music video (AMV), that generally originate from the Japanese website Nico Nico Douga. MAD can also describe the Japanese AMV community, although they can be anything from audio clips, edited pictures, to wholly original creations. MADs do not necessarily even need to be related to anime, though the more popular ones typically are.

Majokko (魔女っ子^?)

literally "witch girl"; this term does not generally apply to modern magical-girl anime.

Manga (漫画, マンガ^?)

Japanese comics.^[1] Or conforming to "manga style", usually marked by features such as large eyes, long limbs, speed lines and exclamatory typography.

Mangaka (漫画家, マンガ家^?)

Creator of the manga. The mangaka is often the writer and the illustrator of the work.

Manga music video

Often abbreviated as MMV, similar to an anime music video (AMV), although instead of clips from anime, panels or pages from at least one manga series are arranged to fit a musical piece playing in the background.

Mecha (メカ, meka^?)

A genre of anime and manga focusing on mecha, or piloted combat robots. Divided into two sub-genres, super robots (The mecha have unrealistic powers, and the focus is more on the fighting and robots themselves), and real robots (More realistic, with more drama and focus on the humans).

Meganekko (眼鏡っ娘^?)

A female character who wears glasses.

Moe (萌え^?)

Difficult to define. A character said to be moe causes a protective instinct or feelings of affection. Moe can also refer to said feelings. It can be used to refer to a love of a specific trait, such as meganekko-moe, "glasses-girl moe, a love of girls wearing glasses

Meido (メイド^?)

Maid; A servant dressed in western attire.

N

Nanshoku (男色^?)

Male love. A deprecated, archaic term for male homosexuality. Etymology

Neko Girl/Boy (猫娘 / 猫男, Neko Musume/Neko Otoko^?)

See Catgirl. Nekogirl/boy is a less common term but is common among new anime fans because neko (cat) is a word that is quickly picked up.

Neko (猫^?)

Japanese word for cat, or feline, often used when referring to a character with cat ears and/or tail. It can also refer to the uke (bottom) in yaoi manga, or the femme in a yuri manga.

Netorare (寝取られ^?)

Cuckold. A common theme/genre in more mature and explicit manga, as well as visual novels. The term literally means "taken away by sleeping with". Often abbreviated as "NTR" amongst internet circles.

O

Otenba (おてんば, お転婆^?)(kko)

tomboy

Okama (オカマ^?)

(Pejorative) male homosexual (literally cooking pot). Etymology

Omake (おまけ, オマケ^?)

Some kind of add-on bonus on an anime DVD, like a regular "extra" on western DVDs. May also be a bonus strip at the end of a manga chapter or volume.

Onee-chan (お姉ちゃん^?)

Older sister, with "onee" meaning older sister and "-chan" being an affectionate suffix. The beginning "o" is a respectful honorific.

Onee-sama (お姉さま^?)

Older sister, with "onee" meaning older sister and "-sama" being a respectful suffix. The beginning "o" is another respectful honorific.

Onii-chan (お兄ちゃん^?)

Older brother, with "onii" meaning older brother and "-chan" being an affectionate suffix. The beginning "o" is a respectful honorific.

Onii-sama (お兄さま^?)

Older brother, with "onii" meaning older brother and "-sama" being a respectful suffix. The beginning "o" is another respectful honorific.

Osananajimi (幼馴染み^?)

Childhood friend.

Otaku (おたく, オタク, ヲタク^?)

Anime newcomers like to consider themselves "otaku" when they start liking anime; their definition of otaku is anime fan. Long-time anime fans, however, tend to not call themselves otaku because of its negative Japanese connotation. The literal translation of the word is your house, but in Japanese slang the word is used to describe somebody who has an obsessive hobby.

Otome gēmu (乙女ゲーム^?)

Lit. "maiden games". This is a video game that is targeted towards a female market, where one of the main goals, besides the plot goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the player character (a female) and one of several male characters.

OVA

Original Video Animation, or OVA is a type of anime, which is intended to be distributed on VHS tapes or DVDs, and not to show in movies, or television. It can also less frequently be referred to as OAV, or Original Animated Video.^[1]

Owari (おわり, オワリ, 終わり, 終^?)

"End" in Japanese, used by some fanfiction authors at the end of their works. Also used at the end of many anime series.

Oyaji (親父, おやじ, オヤジ^?)

"Daddy"—Older male such as a teacher or other role model. Often slightly perverted, but usually portrayed affectionately. Can also be used as "pops" or "old man" (as in father).

R

Raw

Anime episode or manga scans in its original language without editing or subtitles.

S

Scanlation (also "scanslation")

the scanning, translation and editing of comics from one language into another.

Seinen (青年^?)

Anime and manga intended for the adult male demographic.^[1]

Seiyū (声優^?)

Japanese voice actor. As well as voicing characters in anime, seiyū do the voicing for video games, radio shows, drama CDs, etc.

Seme (攻め^?)

"Aggressive" partner in Boys Love.

Shōjo (少女^?)

Lit. "Young woman". Anime and manga intended for the adolescent to teenage female demographic.^[1]

Shōjo-ai (少女愛^?)

coined following the form of shōnen-ai, denoting lesbian content, typically for material without explicit sex. In Japan, the term shōjo-ai is not used with this meaning, and instead tends to denote ephebophilia.

Shōnen (少年^?)

Lit. "Young man". Anime and manga intended for the adolescent to teenage male demographic.^[1]

Shōnen-ai (少年愛^?)

A term denoting male homosexual content in women's media, although this usage is obsolete in Japan. English-speakers frequently use it for material without explicit sex, in anime, manga, and related fan fiction. In Japan, it denotes ephebophilia.

Shotacon (ショタコン, shotakon^?)

A genre of manga and anime wherein childlike male characters are depicted in an erotic manner.

Shudō (衆道^?)

Abbreviation for "wakashudo". The Way of Young Men age structured male homosexuality in samurai society.

Shitsuji (執事^?)

Butler; A servant dressed in western attire.

Sōsaku June (創作JUNE^?)

dōjinshi with male homosexual themes for women that are original stories and non-parodic of existing series.

Super deformed (スーパーデフォルメ, sūpā deforume^?)

Also known as the acronym "SD". Super deformed characters are ones drawn in a simple style with limbs that are extremely short and an overlarge head. Characters are often drawn this way for comedic effect, or to appear "Kawaii" (Cute). Chichiri from the anime Fushigi Yuugi is often found to be in a super deformed shape.

Sub (字幕, jimaku^?)

Origination from subtitle, when an anime is kept in its original language, but has subtitles.

T

Tsuzuku (つづく^?)

Literally "to be continued". Occasionally used at the end of a chapter of manga or an episode of anime when a continuation is to follow.

Tsundere (ツンデレ^?)

The progression of a character personality from cold and hostile to eventually displaying their warm and loving side.

U

Uke (受け^?)

"Passive" partner in Boys Love.

W

Waifu

A female character that one considers to be their "2D wife". Originated from the anime series Azumanga Daioh.

Y

Yamato Nadeshiko (大和撫子^?)

The Japanese ideal for a woman, being humble and skilled in domestic matters.

Yandere (ヤンデレ^?)

a Japanese term for a person who is initially very loving and gentle to someone before their devotion becomes destructive in nature, often through violence. The term is derived from the words yanderu (病んでる^?) meaning a mental or emotional illness and deredere (でれでれ^?) meaning to show affection. Yandere characters are mentally unstable, often using extreme violence as an outlet for their emotions. The usage of the character type has led to criticism over the amount of violence in works such as School Days. Although the character type has been used in anime and manga since Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam in 1985, conscious use of the term only began to be around the turn of the millennium.

Yangire (ヤンギレ^?)

originated in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Strikers and is used to describe a character who is mentally ill and snaps instantly without showing affection for the victim of their outbursts.

Yaoi (やおい^?)

Japanese acronym for "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi" (no climax, no point, no meaning). Also known as Boys love. Sometimes Male-on-male sexual content usually created by women for women.^[1]

Yuri (百合^?)

Jargon term for lesbian content or girl love. Sometimes typically used to denote only the most sexually explicit end of the spectrum in media outside of Japan.^[1] Inside Japan, the term denotes a broader spectrum of attraction between women. (Used like the term "Yaoi" for men.)

Z

Zettai Ryōiki (絶対領域^?)

Meaning "Absolute Territory" (a term from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion), this phrase refers to the area of exposed thigh when a girl is wearing a short skirt and thigh high socks. The 'ideal' skirt:thigh:sock above knee ratio is 4:2.5:1 Zettai Ryōiki are often referred to by letter grades, where Grade A is the ideal and grade F is ankle socks.

See also

• Category:Anime and manga terminology
• Category:Japanese fashion
• Category:Japanese subcultures
• List of fan fiction terms

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Steiff, Josef; Tamplin, Tristan D. (2010). Anime and Philosphy: Wide Eyed Wonder. Open Court Publishing. pp. 313–317. ISBN 978-0-8126-9670-7. 
2. ^ Levi, Antonia; McHarry, Mark; Pagliassotti, Dru, ed (2010). "Glossary". Boys' love manga : essays on the sexual ambiguity and cross-cultural fandom of the genre. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.. p. 257. ISBN 9780786441952. 
3. ^ Moore, Lucy (August 29, 2008). "Internet of hentai". Student Life. http://www.studlife.com/scene/2008/08/29/internet-of-hentai/. Retrieved 10 February 2010. 
4. ^ "Word Display". WWWJDIC. http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUJ爆乳. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
5. ^ Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: the complete guide. Ballantine Books/Del Rey. ISBN 0345485904. 
6. ^ Barrett, Grant (2006). "fan service". The official dictionary of unofficial English: a crunk omnibus for thrillionaires and bampots for the Ecozoic Age. New York City: McGraw-Hill. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-07-145804-7. OCLC 62172930. http://books.google.com/books?id=Fn-Sh1nv7pQC&pg=PA112. Retrieved June 15, 2009. 
7. ^ http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/articles/2009/Galbraith.html

External links

• Anime Terminology Lexicon at Animeph.com—a large list of English and Japanese terms used in anime and manga lingo
• Glossary:Japanese film credit terms—Wiktionary