Odango

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The "odango" hairstyle, as exhibited by the character "Queen Serenity"

Odango (お団子, odango^?) (pronounced [odaŋgo] in IPA) is a Japanese word meaning dumpling. The term also applies to a hairstyle in which a woman's hair is tied up in two spherical or nearly-spherical buns, one on each side of her head.

In anime and manga, the term odango atama ("dumpling head") is used to describe any character who keeps their hair in such a style. The term also extends to real people who use the hairstyle, as well as the hairstyle itself. The most famous character referred to as such is Usagi Tsukino of Sailor Moon; other characters with this hairstyle include Meiling Li from Cardcaptor Sakura, Mei Chang from Fullmetal Alchemist and Mint Aizawa (Corina Bucksworth) from Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power). The English dub of Sailor Moon, broadcast in markets where the odango food is uncommon, adapts this term instead as "meatball head" (with Mamoru/Darien teasing Usagi/Serena with this name). There was also an instance in the second episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya where Haruhi wore this hairstyle, though it was only shown once.

[edit] Ox horns

Pucca has simplified Odango

In China, there is a similar hairstyle known as "ox horns". It is was a commonly used hairstyle up until the early 20th century, and can still be seen today when traditional attire is used. This hairstyle differs from the odango slightly in that it is gender neutral; Chinese paintings of children have frequently depicted girls as having matching ox horns, while boys have a single bun in the back. However, the primary difference between the two hairstyles is that no strands or length of hair trails from the bun.

Examples of characters with ox horns include Chun Li from the Street Fighter series, Pucca , Shampoo from Ranma ½, Tenten from Naruto, and Miaka Yuki from Fushigi Yūgi.

Real celebrities with ox horns or similar hairdos include singer Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls, Marguerite Moreau as Jessie in the movie Queen of the Damned, and the singer Björk.