Glossary of anime and manga

{{short description|none}}  {{Pp-pc}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}} {{Anime and manga}}

The following is a glossary of terms that are specific to anime and manga. Anime includes animated series, films, and videos, while manga includes graphic novels, drawings, and related artwork.

''Note: Japanese words that are used in general (e.g. ''oniisan'', ''kawaii'', and ''senpai'') are not included on this list, unless a description with a reference for notability can be provided that shows how they relate.''

==Character traits== * {{Nihongo3|"foolish hair"|アホゲ|'''{{va|ahoge}}'''}}: Refers to any noticeable strand of hair which sticks in a different direction from the rest of an anime/manga character's hair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Toole |first=Michael |date=22 February 2015 |title=The Mike Toole Show - The Anime Alphabet |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2015-02-22/.85278 |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=Anime News Network}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruide |first=Koh |date=15 July 2017 |title=Japanese Twitter reveals the secret to making the perfect "ahoge" for your cosplay wig. 【Video】 |url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/07/16/japanese-cosplayer-reveals-the-secret-to-making-the-perfect-ahoge-for-your-wig-【video】/ |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=SoraNews24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Annett |first=S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bgS4BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT177 |title=Anime Fan Communities: Transcultural Flows and Frictions |date=2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9781137476104 |page=177 |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lada |first=Jenni |date=27 February 2015 |title=Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is great for building harems |url=http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/143431/dynasty-warriors-8-empires-great-building-harems/ |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=TechnologyTell |archive-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110061717/http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/143431/dynasty-warriors-8-empires-great-building-harems/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"pretty girl"|美少女|'''bishōjo'''}}: Beautiful young woman.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hedvat |first=Omar |date=12 September 2016 |title=Bishojo and Design – Evolution of the Cute Girl in Manga & Anime |url=http://www.gurashii.com/bishojo-and-design-evolution-of-the-cute-girl-in-manga-anime/ |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=Gurashii |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021012213/http://gurashii.com/bishojo-and-design-evolution-of-the-cute-girl-in-manga-anime/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Peraja |first=Christy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05o6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 |title=How To Draw Shojo Manga VOLUME 1: Your Step By Step Guide To Drawing Shojo Manga |date=2017 |publisher=HowExpert |isbn=9781641860215 |page=126 |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="toku">{{Harvnb|Toku|2015|p=112}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-C8dBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT255 |title=Moe Manifesto: An Insider's Look at the Worlds of Manga, Anime, and Gaming |date=2014 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462914135 |page=225 |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"beautiful boy"|美少年|'''bishōnen'''| sometimes abbreviated ''bishie''}}: Japanese aesthetic concept of the ideally beautiful young man:  androgynous, effeminate or gender-ambiguous.<ref name="mmsexuality">{{Cite book |last=Pflugfelder |first=Gregory M. |title=Cartographies of Desire: Male-male Sexuality in Japanese Discourse, 1600–1950 |date=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0520209095 |edition=1st |location=Berkeley, California |pages=221–234}}</ref> In Japan, it refers to youth with such characteristics, while in Europe and the Americas, it has become a generic term for attractively androgynous males of all ages. * {{Nihongo3|{{literal|middle two disease}}|中二病 | '''chūnibyō''' }}: typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur and have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. * {{anchor|Denpa}}{{Nihongo3||電波|'''denpa'''|}}, also {{nihongo3||電波系|'''denpa-kei'''}} or {{nihongo3||電波さん|'''denpa-san'''}}, is a Japanese term for individuals or persons who may feel disconnected from reality or dissociated from the people around them. They may entertain wild fantasies and persecutory delusions or other strong views, and their speech or actions may seem strange or incoherent to outside observers.<ref>{{cite book | title=Kyarakutā Sekkei Kyōshitsu | language=ja |trans-title=Characterization Classroom | publisher=Light Novel Etiquette Research Center, Shūwa Systems | year=2009 | pages=247–248 | isbn=9784798023397 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIP1saQLkR0C&pg=PA247 | access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> The literal meaning of the term is "electromagnetic wave", and the original sense of ''denpa-kei'' and ''denpa-san'' was of someone who thought they were receiving voices, thoughts, or instructions directly to their mind via electromagnetic radiation.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kazuhisa Fujie|author2=Sian Carr|title=Fruits Basket Uncovered: The Secrets of the Sohmas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C65AlEpXCjQC&pg=PA80|access-date=27 March 2012|date=15 March 2007|publisher=DH Publishing Inc|isbn=978-1-932897-21-0|pages=80–81}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||ドジっ子|'''dojikko'''}}: A cute girl who tends to be clumsy. They may make mistakes that hurt themselves or others.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kyōsuke |first1=Kagami |title=Shōjo manga kara manabu ren'aigaku : Kanzen ren'ai hisshō manyuaru |last2=Kajima |first2=Kawana |date=2007 |publisher=Shinkō Myūjikku Entateimento |isbn=978-4401630905 |location=Tokyo |page=67}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kenkyūkai |first=Otaku Bunka |title=Otaku yōgo no kiso chishiki = Basic knowledge of otaku term |date=2006 |publisher=Magajin Faibu |isbn=4434073966 |edition=Shohan |location=Tokyo |page=87}}</ref> ''Dojikko'' character traits are often used for stock characters in anime and manga series.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kazuma |first=Shinjō |title=Light Novel "Chō" Nyūmon |date=2006 |publisher=Soft Bank Creative |isbn=4797333383 |edition=Chuban |location=Tokyo |page=150}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|lit. "animal ears"|獣耳, けものミミ, ケモノミミ|'''kemonomimi'''}}: Characters with animal features such as ears and a tail, but a human body. One of the most common types is the catgirl.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} * {{Nihongo3||メンヘラ|'''menhera'''}}: A portmanteau of "mental health-er". The most common type is the ''menhera'' girls, who exhibit unstable emotionality, obsessive love, and stereotypical self-injurious behaviors such as wrist cutting.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Yukari Seko|author2=Minako Kikuchi|date=2022-03-11|title=Mentally Ill and Cute as Hell: Menhera Girls and Portrayals of Self-Injury in Japanese Popular Culture|journal=Frontiers in Communication|doi=10.3389/fcomm.2022.737761|volume=7|article-number=737761 |doi-access=free }}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"statelessness" or "nationlessness"|無国籍|'''mukokuseki'''}}: A character with a purposefully ambiguous national or ethnic identity.<ref>Kato, Hiloko and Bauer, René. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783839453452-006/html?lang=en Mukokuseki and the Narrative Mechanics in Japanese Games]". Narrative Mechanics: Strategies and Meanings in Games and Real Life, edited by Beat Suter, René Bauer and Mela Kocher, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, via De Gruyter, 2021, pp. 113-150. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839453452-006</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"male daughter" or "male girl"|男の娘|'''otokonoko'''|}}: a man who has a culturally feminine gender expression, which includes amongst others a feminine appearance, or cross-dressing.<ref name="moonrunes">{{Cite web |title=「男の娘☆」の商標登録が認められていた |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1111/21/news124.html}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku 26 May 2011">{{Cite news |last=Ashcraft |first=Brian |date=26 May 2011 |title=What Is Japan's Fetish This Week? Male Daughters |work=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/what-is-japans-fetish-this-week-male-daughters-5804979 |access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref>

===''Dere-dere'' traits=== : {{Nihongo3||デレ|'''-dere'''}}: An umbrella term for all words with the suffix; i.e. any stock character or character trope, usually female, who is distinguished by "lovey dovey" or "lovestruck" behavior, interacting with their love interest in a certain way. The entries on this list are examples: * {{Nihongo3||ダンデレ|'''{{va|dandere}}'''}}: A stock love interest who is quiet and asocial. They are generally afraid to speak, fearing that what they say will get them in trouble. Their name is a portmanteau of {{Nihongo|''danmari''|黙り}}, meaning "silence", and {{nihongo||でれでれ|deredere|extra2=, "lovey dovey"}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Eisenbeis |first=Richard |title=How to Identify Popular Japanese Character Types |url=https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-popular-japanese-character-types-1169085239 |access-date=2019-07-28 |website=Kotaku|date=August 20, 2013 }}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||豪デレ|'''goudere'''|}}: A character archetype who relentlessly pursues their own vision of their love interest's desires, which they typically misunderstand in some comically over-the-top fashion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gou-dere Sora Nagihara GN 1 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/gou-dere-sora-nagihara/gn-1/.82761 |access-date=2019-12-13 |website=Anime News Network}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||クーデレ|'''{{va|kuudere|kūdere}}'''| also ''kūdere'' }}: A stock love interest who is calm and collected on the outside, and never panics. They show little emotion, and in extreme cases are completely emotionless, but may be hiding their true emotions. They tend to be leaders who are always in charge of a situation. Their name is a portmanteau of the Japanese pronunciation of {{Nihongo|cool|クール}}, and {{nihongo||でれでれ|deredere}}.<ref name=":0" /> * {{Nihongo3||ツンデレ|'''tsundere'''}}: A stock love interest who is usually harsh, stern, cold or hostile to the person they like, while occasionally letting slip the warm and loving feelings hidden inside due to being shy, nervous, insecure or simply unable to help acting badly in front of the person they like. It is a portmanteau of the Japanese terms {{nihongo||ツンツン|tsuntsun}}, meaning to be stern or hostile, and {{nihongo||でれでれ|deredere}}, meaning to be "lovey dovey".<ref name="Galbraith">{{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |title=The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan |date=2009 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=9784770031013 |edition=1st |location=Tokyo |pages=226–227}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||ヤンデレ|'''yandere'''}}: A stock love interest is initially loving and caring to someone they like a lot until their romantic love, admiration and devotion becomes feisty and mentally destructive in nature through either overprotectiveness, violence, brutality or all three combined. The term is a portmanteau of the words {{Nihongo3||病んでる|yanderu}}, meaning (mentally or emotionally) ill, and {{Nihongo3|"lovey dovey"|でれでれ|deredere}}, meaning to show genuinely strong romantic affection. ''Yandere'' characters are mentally unstable, deranged, and use violence or emotional abuse as an outlet for their emotions. ''Yandere'' are usually, but not always, female characters.<ref name="Galbraith" />

==Demographics== * {{Nihongo3|"woman"|女性|'''josei'''}}: Anime and manga intended for the adult female demographic.<ref name="Steiff">{{Cite book |last1=Steiff |first1=Josef |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5x2xu6veHDoC&q=AMV |title=Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder |last2=Tamplin |first2=Tristan D. |date=2010 |publisher=Open Court |isbn=9780812697131 |location=New York |pages=313–317 |access-date=June 11, 2015}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||子供|'''kodomo'''}} or {{Nihongo3||子供向け|kodomomuke}}: Anime and manga for children.<ref name="Steiff" /> * {{Nihongo3|"man"|青年|'''seinen'''}}: Anime and manga intended for the adult male demographic.<ref name="Steiff" /><ref name="toku-241" /> * {{Nihongo3|"young woman"|少女|'''shōjo'''}}: Anime and manga intended for the adolescent female demographic.<ref name="Steiff" /><ref name="toku-241" /> * {{Nihongo3|"young man"|少年|'''shōnen'''}}: Anime and manga intended for the adolescent male demographic.<ref name="Steiff" /><ref name="toku-241" />

==Fandom== {{Main|Anime and manga fandom}}

* {{Nihongo3||アニパロ|'''{{va|aniparo}}'''}}: A slang term for the parodic use of anime characters by fans, a portmanteau of "anime" and "parody".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Levi |first1=Antonia |title=Boys' Love Manga: Essays on the Sexual Ambiguity and Cross-cultural Fandom of the Genre |last2=McHarry |first2=Mark |last3=Pagliassotti |first3=Dru |date=2008 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=9780786441952 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |page=257}}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''Comiket'''|コミケット|Komiketto|"comics market"}}: One of the largest trade fairs for ''dōjinshi'' comics, held twice a year in Ariake, Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Helen |title=500 Manga Heroes & Villains |date=2006 |publisher=Barrons |isbn=9780764132018 |edition=1st |location=Hauppauge, New York |page=14 |chapter=Manga: A Brief History |author-link=Helen McCarthy}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||同人誌|'''dōjinshi'''}}: A fan-made or amateurly produced work such as a parody, fan fiction, or manga. * '''fandub''': Short for fan-made dub, describing a film or video in which fans have voiced over the dialogue.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kroon |first=Richard W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjmNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA264 |title=A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms |date=2010 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=9780786457403 |location=Jefferson |page=246 |access-date=23 October 2017}}</ref> * '''fansub''': Short for fan-made subtitles, describing a film or video in which fans have translated and subtitled the dialogue into another language.<ref name="Steiff" /> * {{Nihongo3|"rotten boy"|腐男子|'''fudanshi'''}}: A male fan of yaoi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=NAGAIKE |first=KAZUMI |title=Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan |date=2015 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=9781628461190 |pages=189–209 |chapter=Do Heterosexual Men Dream of Homosexual Men?: BL Fudanshi and Discourse on Male Feminization |jstor=j.ctt13x1spg}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"rotten girl"|腐女子|'''fujoshi'''}}: A female fan of yaoi.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=October 31, 2009 |title=Moe and the Potential of Fantasy in Post-Millennial Japan |url=http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/articles/2009/Galbraith.html |journal=Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies |access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"2D complex"|二次コン|'''''nijikon'''''}}: Appeared in the early 1980s and describes the perception that two-dimensional anime, manga, and light novel characters are more attractive visually, physically or emotionally than people from the real world, or that a person is solely sexually aroused by 2D characters.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Steven Poole |title=Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc. |year=2007 |isbn=978-1611454550}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lucy Bennett, Paul Booth |title=Seeing Fans: Representations of Fandom in Media and Popular Culture |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA. |year=2016 |isbn=9781501318450}}</ref> * '''Odagiri effect''': A phenomenon in which a piece of media, typically a television program, attracts a larger than expected female audience because it features attractive male actors or characters.<ref name="Clements1">{{Cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |title=The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 |last2=Tamamuro |first2=Motoko |date=2003 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=1880656817 |location=Berkeley, California |page=182 |author-link=Jonathan Clements}}</ref><ref name="Clements2">{{Cite book |last=Clements |first=Jonathan |title=Anime: A History |date=2013 |publisher=British Film Institute |isbn=9781844573905 |location=London |page=142}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|| おたく, オタク, ヲタク|'''otaku'''}}: The literal translation of the word is another person's house or family ({{lang|ja|お宅,}} ''otaku''). In Japanese slang, ''otaku'' is mostly equivalent to "geek" or "nerd", but in a more derogatory manner than used in the West.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morikawa, Kaichirō |date=April 20, 2012 |title=おたく/ Otaku / Geek |url=http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/5zb9r8cr# |access-date=August 13, 2013 |publisher=Center for Japanese Studies UC Berkeley}}</ref> In 1989, the word "otaku" was shunned in relation to anime and manga after Tsutomu Miyazaki (dubbed "The Otaku Murderer") brutally killed underage girls.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oliviera |first=James |date=January 3, 2010 |title=The Otaku Killer: Miyazaki Tsutomu |url=http://scaredyet.net/the-otaku-killer-miyazaki-tsutomu/ |access-date=January 7, 2015}}</ref> Since then, the word has become less negative in Japan with more people identifying themselves as some type of an ''otaku''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2013 |title=自分のことを「オタク」と認識してる人10代は62％、70代は23％ | キャリア |url=http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2013/04/27/076 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703184904/http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2013/04/27/076 |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |publisher=Mynavi News}}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''''waifu'''''|俺の嫁|ore no yome|lit. "my wife"}} / {{Nihongo|'''''husbando'''''|俺の婿|ore no muko|lit. "my husband"}} : A fictional character from non-live-action visual media (typically an anime, manga, or video game) to whom one is attracted or whom one considers their ideal significant other.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orsini |first=Lauren |date=June 12, 2015 |title=Why Adults Fall In Love With (And Spend Big Money On) Cartoon Characters |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2015/06/12/why-adults-fall-in-love-and-spend-big-money-on-cartoon-characters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621191945/https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2015/06/12/why-adults-fall-in-love-and-spend-big-money-on-cartoon-characters/ |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |access-date=August 9, 2017 |website=Forbes}} Full copy also at {{Cite web |last=Orsini |first=Lauren |date=June 12, 2015 |title=Why Adults Fall In Love With (And Spend Big Money On) Cartoon Characters |url=http://www.themoneystreet.com/why-adults-fall-in-love-with-and-spend-big-money-on-cartoon-characters/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810013550/http://www.themoneystreet.com/why-adults-fall-in-love-with-and-spend-big-money-on-cartoon-characters/ |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2019 |website=The Money Street}}</ref> Originated as a loanword in Japan during the 1980s before being re-appropriated as a slang term among English speakers in the 2000s; some online tabloids claim the latter stems from a scene in ''Azumanga Daioh'' in which the character Mr. Kimura uses the term to describe his own spouse.<ref name="Kemner 2022">{{cite web |last1=Kemner |first1=Louis |title=Where the Term 'Waifu' Came From - And How It Grew So Prominent in Anime Culture |url=https://www.cbr.com/waifu-anime-term-origin-pop-culture-growth/ |website=CBR |access-date=4 June 2024 |ref=Kemner 2022 |date=12 September 2022}}</ref> * '''''weeaboo''''' (shortened to '''weeb'''): A derogatory internet slang term for an obnoxious fan of Japanese culture, originally a replacement word for "wapanese" (a contraction of "wannabe" Japanese or "white" Japanese).<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Am I a Weeaboo? What does Weeaboo Mean Anyway? |url=https://www.japanpowered.com/otaku-culture/am-i-a-weeaboo-what-does-weeaboo-mean-anyway |access-date=July 1, 2018 |website=japanpowered.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chris Kincaid |date=2015-08-30 |title=Am I a Weeaboo? What does Weeaboo Mean Anyway? |url=http://www.japanpowered.com/otaku-culture/am-i-a-weeaboo-what-does-weeaboo-mean-anyway |access-date=2016-02-21 |publisher=Japan Powered}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Jesse Christian |title=Japanese animation in America and its fans |url=http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/8736/thesis.pdf |access-date=12 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Justin Sevakis |date=August 22, 2014 |title=Nobody Loves the Weeaboo |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2014-08-22/.77818 |access-date=March 10, 2016 |publisher=Anime News Network}}</ref>

==Genres== {{For|a complete list of genres that covers all types of literature|List of genres}} * {{Nihongo3|"enormous breasts"|爆乳|'''{{va|bakunyū|Bakunyu}}'''}}:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Word Display |url=http://nihongo.monash.edu/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?1E |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115080124/http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUJ |archive-date=January 15, 2013 |access-date=March 12, 2020 |publisher=WWWJDIC}}</ref> A genre of pornographic media focusing on the depiction of women with large breasts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Lucy |date=August 29, 2008 |title=Internet of hentai |url=http://www.studlife.com/scene/2008/08/29/internet-of-hentai/ |access-date=February 10, 2010 |website=Student Life}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"rose"|薔薇|'''bara'''}}: A masculine gay men's culture and, in manga circles, a genre of manga about beefcakey gay men usually by gay men.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} Compare with the female-created Boys' Love. Also known as {{Nihongo|gay manga|ゲイコミ|geikomi|"gay comics"}} * {{Nihongo|'''boys' love'''|ボーイズラブ|bōizu rabu}}: Abbreviated "BL", male homosexual content generally aimed at women, currently in general use in Japan to cover ''yaoi'' and ''shōnen-ai.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLelland |first=Mark |title=The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317269366 |page=14 |quote=yaoi [an erotic genre of BL manga]}}</ref>'' * {{nihongo|'''harem'''|ハーレムもの|hāremumono}}: A subgenre of anime and manga characterized by an ordinary guy surrounded by a group of women with some being potential love interests. An ordinary girl surrounded by guys is a '''reverse harem'''.<ref name="brenner-89">{{Harvnb|Brenner|2007|p=89}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"different world"|異世界|'''isekai'''}}: A subgenre of manga and anime in which characters are transported or reincarnated into an alternate world, often with a high fantasy setting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The World of Isekai Continues to Grow with New Manga Contest |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-01-16/the-world-of-isekai-continues-to-grow-with-new-manga-contest/.126494 |access-date=March 23, 2018 |publisher=Anime News Network}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Hacking the Isekai: Make Your Parallel World Work for You |publisher=CrunchyRoll |url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/01/17/hacking-the-isekai-make-your-parallel-world-work-for-you |access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"healing"|癒し系|'''iyashikei'''}}: a sub-genre of slice of life, portraying characters living out peaceful lives in calming environments, which is intended to have a healing effect on the audience.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2019 |title=What Is Iyashikei and Why Should You Care? |url=https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/a/news/what-is-iyashikei-and-why-should-you-care |access-date=3 November 2021 |publisher=Sentai Films |department=Anime News |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103182130/https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/a/news/what-is-iyashikei-and-why-should-you-care |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dennison |first=Kara |date=20 September 2020 |title=The Anime Genre Dedicated to Relaxation |url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/the-anime-genre-dedicated-to-relaxation/ |magazine=Otaku USA Magazine |access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''lolicon'''|ロリコン|rorikon}}: Portmanteau for "lolita complex". A genre of manga and anime in which childlike female characters are depicted in an erotic manner.<ref name="Steiff" /> * {{Nihongo|'''mecha'''|メカ|meka}}: anime and manga that feature robots (mecha) in battle. Series that feature mecha are divided into two subgenres: "super robots", where the mecha have unrealistic powers, and "real robots", where the mecha have more realistic powers and are generally more utilitarian. * {{Nihongo3|"girls love"|少女愛|'''shōjo-ai'''}}: Manga or anime that focus on romances between women.<ref name="brenner-304" /> * {{Nihongo3|"boys love"|少年愛|'''shōnen-ai'''}}: 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=McLelland |first1=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAIbBwAAQBAJ |title=Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan |last2=Nagaike |first2=Kazumi |last3=Suganuma |first3=Katsuhiko |last4=Welker |first4=James |date=2015-01-28 |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-62674-309-0 |language=en}}</ref> * '''guro''': A genre of erotic art popular in hentai associated with extreme graphic violence, derived from the ero guro nansensu movement of the Shōwa era.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=D'Anastasio |first=Cecilia |date=2017-10-07 |title=Japanese 'Gore Erotica' Is Slowly Catching On In The West [NSFW] |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/10/nsfw-japanese-gore-erotica-is-slowly-catching-on-in-the-west/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420181900/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/10/nsfw-japanese-gore-erotica-is-slowly-catching-on-in-the-west/ |archive-date=April 20, 2018 |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||リョナ|'''ryona'''}}, portmanteau: {{Nihongo3|"ryōki"|猟奇||"seeking the bizarre"}}; {{Nihongo3|"onanī"|オナニー||"masturbation"}}: a Japanese term for a sexual complex. This fetish revolves around a victim, almost exclusively a female, being physically assaulted or psychologically abused by an offender. It differs from sadism in that it is a voyeuristic fantasy fetish with focus towards fictional characters from video games, anime, manga, television and movies that include battering, abusing or otherwise killing women. In case the victim is male it is often labeled as '''gyaku-ryona''' (逆リョナ).<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2013 |title=The J Gamers: Is Ryona a real thing? |url=http://thejgamers.blogspot.com/2013/04/is-ryona-real-thing.html}}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''shotacon'''|ショタコン|shotakon}}: Pormanteau for "Shōtarō Complex". A genre of manga and anime wherein childlike male characters are depicted in an erotic manner.<ref name="Goode">{{Cite book |last=Goode |first=Sarah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uNKOAgAAQBAJ |title=Understanding and Addressing Adult Sexual Attraction to Children: A Study of Paedophiles in Contemporary Society |date=2009-07-07 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-25804-7 |language=en}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||やおい|'''yaoi'''}}: Anime or manga with a focus on homosexual male relationships and/or male-on-male sexual content; usually created by women for women.<ref name="Steiff" /> * {{Nihongo3||百合|'''yuri'''}}: Anime or manga with a focus on lesbian relationships.  In Japan, the term denotes a broad spectrum of attraction between women. It is also used for sexually explicit content outside Japan,<ref name="Steiff" /> and is more explicit than shojo-ai.<ref name="brenner-304">{{Harvnb|Brenner|2007|p=304}}</ref>

==Other terms== {{See also|:Category:Anime and manga terminology}} * '''anime music video''' ('''AMV'''): Video clips from at least one anime series arranged to fit a musical piece playing in the background.<ref name="Steiff" /> * '''CV''': Character Voice, see Seiyu.<ref name="esp glossary">{{Cite web |title=CV とは｜声優業界用語集 |url=https://www.esp.ac.jp/epv/glossary/03_08.html |access-date=July 1, 2018 |website=www.esp.ac.jp}}</ref> * '''dub''': When the voices in an anime are translated into another language.  * {{Nihongo|'''''eroge'''''|エロゲー|erogē}}: An eroge, a portmanteau of {{nihongo|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.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} ''Eroge'' originated from ''galge'' that added adult content rated 18+.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} * {{Nihongo|'''eyecatch'''|アイキャッチ|aikyatchi}}: A short scene or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break in a Japanese TV program, similar to commercial bumpers in the United States. * {{Nihongo|'''fan service'''|ファンサービス|fan sābisu}}: Elements specifically included to sexually amuse (such as scantily-clad or naked males or females, or ''ecchi'' content) or titillate the audience, which may or may not be necessary to plot development.<ref name="Barrett">{{Cite book |last=Barrett |first=Grant |title=The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: A Crunk Omnibus for Thrillionaires and Bampots for the Ecozoic Age |date=2006 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=9780071458047 |location=New York |page=112}}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''''galge'''''|ギャルゲー|gyarugē}}: This is a type of Japanese video game centered around interactions with attractive anime-style girls.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} These games are a subgenre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} * '''glomp''': a form of aggressive hugging in which the active party dives or lunges at the passive party in the manner of a tackle, sometimes called a "tackle hug". * {{Nihongo3|"dramatic pictures"|劇画|'''gekiga'''}}: A term adopted by more serious Japanese cartoonists, who did not want their work to be associated with manga.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b0EJmrszhyQC&pg=PA114 |title=Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad, and Sexy |publisher=Popular Press |year=1999 |isbn=9780879727796 |editor-last=Lent |editor-first=John A. |page=114}}</ref> It is akin to English speakers who prefer the term "graphic novel", as opposed to "comic book".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Liz |date=May 2009 |title=The Working Man's Graphic Novel |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-working-mans-graphic-novel}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"original author"|原作者|'''{{va|gensakusha}}'''}}: A term used by derivative works to credit the original creator of a series.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Answerman - Back to the Grind |publisher=Anime News Network |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2014-01-03 |access-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref> It is also used to refer to the writer of a completely original manga, as opposed to its illustrator.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 7, 2025 |script-title=ja:漫画やアニメ "ヒット"を生み出す原作者を探せ |publisher=NHK |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/contents/ohabiz/articles/2025_0407.html |language=ja |access-date=September 6, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907165452/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/contents/ohabiz/articles/2025_0407.html |archive-date=September 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |script-title=ja:新人マンガ家相談室／質問「原作者と作画者の関係について…」 |website=Manga-Gai |publisher=Ginnansha |url=http://www.manga-gai.net/mangakasoudan/sodansitu/2013_09_04.html |language=ja |access-date=September 6, 2025|quote=書き下ろし原作と小説や脚本などのありものの原作の場合で配分は異なります。書き下ろし原作の場合は、原作者と漫画家の比率は４：６ないし５：５です。}}</ref> * '''Hanahaki disease''': A fictional disease that originated in shōjo manga before becoming a popular trope in slash fiction.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hale-Stern |first=Kaila |date=1 September 2021 |title=What Is Hanahaki Disease, Fandom's Favorite Fictional Ailment? |url=https://www.themarysue.com/what-is-hanahaki-disease/ |access-date=30 May 2025 |website=The Mary Sue}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"transformation"|変身|'''henshin'''}}: The action of a character transforming into a superhero form. Mostly used by the Kamen Riders in the ''Kamen Rider Series'', this term ended being used for anything related to metamorphosis in manga, anime and tokusatsu, since ''Kamen Rider'' ended being mainly a tokusatsu series, despite its roots being the works of the manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. * {{Nihongo3|"pervert"|変態|'''hentai'''}}: A term used outside of Japan to describe erotic or pornographic manga and anime. In Japan, terms such as "ero manga" and "ero anime" are used to describe the genre.<ref>{{Harvnb|Brenner|2007|pp=38, 297}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||ジュネ|'''juné'''}}: A manga or text story with male homosexual themes written for women in an {{nihongo|aesthetic|耽美|tanbi}} style, named so because of the ''Juné'' magazine.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} * {{Nihongo3||壁ドン|'''kabedon'''}}: When a person slaps or leans against the wall and the other person has nowhere to go. This has become popular as a "clever move of confession"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashcraft |first=Brian |date=April 7, 2014 |title=Manga Trope Appears in Noodle Commercial, Confuses Some People |url=https://kotaku.com/manga-trope-appears-in-noodle-commercial-confuses-some-1600201827 |access-date=June 17, 2015 |website=Kotaku}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ayava |date=November 9, 2014 |title=Feeling Exhilaration, Even Through a Mistake: Experiencing the "Kabe-Don" Japanese Girls Love So Much |url=http://tokyogirlsupdate.com/kabe-don-cafe-experience-20141130159.html |access-date=June 17, 2015 |website=Tokyo Girls Update}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=KK |date=March 13, 2015 |title=Would kabe-don work outside of Japan?【Video】 |url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/03/13/would-kabe-don-work-outside-of-japan%E3%80%90video%E3%80%91/ |access-date=June 17, 2015 |website=SoraNews24 |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126084626/https://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/03/13/would-kabe-don-work-outside-of-japan%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> * {{Nihongo|'''lemon'''|レモン|remon}}: Derived from the hentai anthology series {{nihongo|''Cream Lemon''|くりいむレモン|Kurīmu Remon}}, the term is used to refer to material with explicit sexual content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Houck |first=Janet |date=March 8, 2007 |title=Scratching Your H-Itch |url=http://www.mania.com/scratching-your-hitch_article_53858.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003031033/http://www.mania.com/scratching-your-hitch_article_53858.html |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |access-date=February 13, 2010 |publisher=Mania.com}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3||漫画家, マンガ家|'''mangaka'''}}: Manga artist. A creator of manga; this can refer to both the writer and illustrator of the work.<ref name="toku-241" /> * {{Nihongo3||見開き|'''mihiraki'''}}: A manga scene, usually one single image, spread to cover two opposing pages.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}{{disputed inline|date=July 2019}} * {{Nihongo|'''{{va|name}}'''|ネーム|Nēmu}}: A rough draft of a proposed manga.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 2017 |title=All of Rumiko Takahashi's Manga Works Go Digital |publisher=Crunchyroll |url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/03/22-1/all-of-rumiko-takahashis-manga-works-go-digital |access-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref> Also known as a manga storyboard.<ref name="toku-241">{{Harvnb|Toku|2015|p=241}}</ref> * {{Nihongo3|"extra"|おまけ, オマケ |'''omake'''}}: An add-on bonus to anime and manga,<ref name="toku-241" /> like a regular "extra" on western DVDs; or a bonus strip at the end of a manga chapter or volume. * '''original net animation''' ('''ONA'''): An anime production intended to be distributed through the internet via streaming or direct download, as opposed to on TV or cinemas. * {{Nihongo|'''''otome'' game'''|乙女ゲーム|otome gēmu|lit. "maiden game"}}: 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. * '''original video animation''' ('''OVA'''): A type of anime which is intended to be distributed on VHS tapes or DVDs and not shown in movies or on television. It is also less frequently referred to as '''original animated video''' ('''OAV''').<ref name="Steiff" /> DVDs are sometimes known as Original Animated DVD (OAD).<ref>{{Cite web |title=魔法先生ネギま!～もうひとつの世界～公式HP |trans-title=Negima! Magister Negi Magi!: Another World Official HP |url=http://negima.kc.kodansha.co.jp/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430130252/http://negima.kc.kodansha.co.jp/ |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |access-date=April 8, 2011 |publisher=Kodansha |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ja:今日の5の2 初回限定版コミック～公式サイト～ |trans-title=Kyō no Go no Ni Limited Edition Comic Official Site |url=http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/gononi/ |access-date=April 8, 2011 |publisher=Kodansha |language=ja}}</ref> * '''raw''': Anime episode or manga scans in its original language without editing or subtitles. * '''scanlation''' (also '''scanslation'''): The scanning, translation, and editing of comics from one language into another.<ref name="Hollingworth 2009">{{Cite news |last=Hollingworth |first=William |date=March 10, 2009 |title='Scanlators' freely translating 'manga,' 'anime' |work=The Japan Times |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/03/10/national/scanlators-freely-translating-manga-anime/ |access-date=May 15, 2016}}</ref><ref name="toku-241" /> * {{Nihongo3||声優|'''seiyū'''}}: A Japanese voice actor. As well as voicing characters in anime, ''seiyū'' do voicing for video games, radio shows, drama CDs, and other media. * {{nihongo3|"door page"|扉絵|'''tobirae'''}}: Refers to the full-page illustration that marks the beginning of most manga chapters.<ref name="tobira">{{Cite book |last=Mashima |first=Hiro |title=Fairy Tail |publisher=Del Rey Manga |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-345-50557-6 |volume=4 |page=197 |author-link=Hiro Mashima |orig-year=2007}}</ref> Designed to capture the reader's attention, they sometimes spread to cover two opposing pages, and typically contain the series' title and the chapter's title. The equivalent in American comics is the splash page.<ref name="tobira" /> * {{Nihongo3|"four cell manga"|4コマ漫画|'''yonkoma'''}}: Refers to manga drawn in a four-panel comic strip format. * {{Nihongo3|"absolute territory"|絶対領域|'''zettai ryōiki'''}}: 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 often reported to be 4:1:2.5. ''Zettai ryōiki'' are often referred to by letter grades, where grade A is the ideal.<ref name="Ogas">{{Cite book |last1=Ogas |first1=Ogi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xr_MAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 |title=A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the Internet Tells Us about Sexual Relationships |last2=Gaddam |first2=Sai |date=2012 |publisher=Plume |isbn=9780452297876 |location=New York |page=32 |language=ja |access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=iinkai |first=Nettogo kenkyū |title=Hinshutsu nettogo techō: jisho niwa notte inai atarashii nihongo |date=2009 |publisher=Shin’yūsha |isbn=9784883809165 |location=Tōkyō |page=47}}</ref><ref name="mainichi20070202">{{Cite news |date=February 2, 2007 |script-title=ja:ぴなメイドな生活：第26回絶対領域とニーソ |language=ja |work=Mainichi Shimbun |url=http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/column/pina/archive/news/2007/20070202org00m200036000c.html |url-status=unfit |access-date=March 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514030407/http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/column/pina/archive/news/2007/20070202org00m200036000c.html |archive-date=May 14, 2007}}</ref>

==References== === Citations === {{Reflist|refs= }}

=== General and cited sources === * {{Cite book |last=Brenner |first=Robin E. |year=2007 |title=Understanding Manga and Anime |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingman0000bren/mode/2up |location=Westport, Conn. |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |isbn=9780313094484 |oclc=230776264}} * {{Cite book |editor-last=Toku |editor-first=Masami |year=2015 |title=International Perspectives on Shojo and Shojo Manga: The Influence of Girl Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1LLCQAAQBAJ |series=Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |pages=239–242 |isbn=9781317610762 |oclc=911000913}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite encyclopedia |year=2015 |title=Argot and Jargon |encyclopedia=The Anime Encyclopedia |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E03KBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT175 |author-link=Jonathan Clements |edition=3rd Revised |pages=37–40 |isbn=978-1-611720-18-1 |oclc=897946457 |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |author2-link=Helen McCarthy}} * {{Cite web |last=Ferreira |first=Mike |date=December 16, 2010 |title=Anime: A Beginner's Guide Chapter 4: A Brief Dictionary of Jargon and Fan Terms |url=http://www.animeherald.com/2010/12/16/anime-a-beginner’s-guide-chapter-4-a-brief-dictionary-of-jargon-and-fan-terms/ |department=Anime Herald}} * {{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Theron |title=Anime/Manga Glossary |url=http://www.usaanime.us/References/Glossary.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111231912/http://www.usaanime.us/References/Glossary.htm |archive-date=11 November 2020 |publisher=USA Anime}} * {{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Jason |title=Manga: The Complete Guide |publisher=Del Rey Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-345-48590-8 |location=New York |pages=495–502 |chapter=Glossary |oclc=300394478 |author-link=Jason Thompson (writer) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GvEFDD4rdWMC&pg=PT1570}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Anime and manga terminology}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20171109052209/http://www.animeph.com/anime-terminology-vocabulary-term Anime Terminology Lexicon] at Animeph.com – a large list of English and Japanese terms * Anime News Network's [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/lexicon.php Lexicon] * [https://dic.pixiv.net/en/ pixiv Encyclopedia - The Dictionary of Doujin/Manga/Illustration/Derivative Works] {{in lang|en}} at pixiv

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glossary Of Anime And Manga}} Category:Anime and manga terminology Category:Japanese vocabulary Anime and manga Category:Wikipedia glossaries using unordered lists