Anime and manga terminology

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Anime and manga fandom in the West (especially the U.S.) has adopted many Japanese words and phrases. Some of these words have been misinterpreted, reinterpreted or undergone significant drift 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 subcultures shared slang or jargon.

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 anime and manga media and fans.

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.

Contents

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z — See also

[edit] A

  • Ai (愛) — Love.
  • Aibou - Partner
  • AMV — see: Anime Music Video.
  • Anime (アニメ) — Animation originating from Japan. Not a genre and contrary to popular misconceptions widely varying in style.
  • Anime Music Video — Video clips from at least one anime series arranged to fit a musical piece playing in the background. AMV's usually cut out the audio and subtitles from the actual anime episodes, but in some well done videos sound clips or subtitles may be left in at certain parts to help enhance the video.
  • Akuma- Demon, evil

[edit] B

  • Baka — Used to describe a person or an action as foolish or stupid. Literally it can translate to fool, stupid or idiot.
  • Beddo shiin — Bed scene.
  • Bishie (Bishi or Bish) — Fan term for androgynous and/or effeminate males of all ages derived from bishōnen, also applied to similar (beautiful but somewhat butch) females.
  • 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.
  • Bakemono — monster.

[edit] C

  • Catgirl — Character with cat ears and a cat tail, but an otherwise human body. (Please note, these characters often have feline habits, paw-like hands, and occasionally show fangs. Emotional expressions are also feline in nature, such as an exaggerated fur-standing-on-end when startled.)
  • Chapatsu — "Brown hair". The once-rebellious & trendy, now mainstream, style of bleaching (and occasionally dying) hair, found among Japanese teens.
  • Chibi — Japanese word meaning "small". It is usually used to refer to superdeformed, miniaturized versions of the characters integrated into the storyline to add comedy. They are usually used when the character is supposed to be angry, sad, confused, or startled.
  • Choko — wimp
  • CM — Commercial Message - An advert (usually on television).
  • Comiket — Comics Market — World's largest comic convention held biannually in Tokyo, Japan for producers and fans of Dōjinshi. (see Comic Party)

[edit] D

  • Dōjinshi — Amateur comic/zine.
  • Dōseiaisha — Same-sex-loving person. — (Etymology)

[edit] E

  • Ecchi — Perverted. — From ‘H’ for Hentai.
  • Enjo kōsai — "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) — 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.

[edit] F

  • Fuku — (セーラー服 sērā-fuku) — "Sailorsuit" style Japanese girls school uniform.
  • Fukutaicho — Vice-commander, lieutenant

[edit] G

  • Gakuran (学ラン) — Uniform for middle school and high school boys in Japan. The Gakuran is derived from Prussian army uniforms.
  • Ganguro (顔黒) Literally "black face". — 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.
  • Ganbatte — "Good luck", "Go for it", "You can do it".
  • Gei — Transliteration of gay. Etymology
  • Glomp — A hug in the manner of a small child, similar to a bearhug but often including one or both legs as well as arms. Also A hug in which the hugger jumps and catches the *victim* by surprise or off guard. Basically, it's a violent hug with a running start.
  • Gothloli — Gothic Lolita — A fashion trend where girls and young women dress in the style of elaborate porcelain dolls.

[edit] H

  • Hentai — "Abnormal" or "perverted". — Used by Western Audiences to refer to pornographic anime or erotica. However, in Japan the term used to refer to the same material is typically Poruno or Ero.

[edit] I

  • Ichi — one.
  • Ichiban — first, 'the most'.
  • Iinchō — Short for Gakkyū Iinchō, the class representative in a Japanese school.

[edit] J

[edit] K

  • Kami — God. Usually used as an exclamation. Ex. "Kami!"
  • Karawayo — Phrase a Japanese girl utters before entering sexual intimacy (shall I take my clothes off?).
  • Kawaii - cute. Kawaii has been referenced in Gwen Stefani's song "Media:Harajuku Girls".
  • Kemono (獣 or けもの) — "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)
  • Kemonomimi — Characters with animal features such as ears and a tails, but have a human body. Catgirl also falls under this concept.
  • Kimono (着物) — Traditional Japanese garments. Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankles, with collars and full-length sleeves.
  • 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 — Genericised form of Comiket (Comics Market).

[edit] L

  • Lemon — Material with explicit sexual content (not to be confused with the slang term for Lesbian in some English speaking cultures).
  • Loli-Goth — Gothloli — Gothic Lolita.

[edit] M

  • Manga (漫画) — Comic book.
  • Mangaka (漫画家) — Comic book artist.
  • Matte — wait.

[edit] N

  • Nanshoku — Male love. — A deprecated term for homosexuality. Etymology
  • Neko (ねこ) — House cat.
  • Nani — what

[edit] O

  • OAV — Original Animated Video, see OVA.
  • Obaasan — old woman.
  • Okama — (Pejorative) homosexual. — (Literally cooking pot.) Etymology
  • Omake — Some kind of add-on bonus on an anime DVD, like a regular 'extra' on western DVDs.
  • Orijinaru — Original
  • Otaku — 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 is so obsessed with something they never leave their house. Basically it means "geek", but is occasionally associated with lolicons and pedophiles, like in the anime series Hand Maid May.
  • 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.
  • Owari — "End" in Japanese, used by some fanfiction authors at the end of their works.
  • 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.

[edit] P

  • Parodi — Parody.

[edit] Q

[edit] R

  • Rezu/Rezubian — Transliteration of lesbian. — Etymology

[edit] S

  • Sake (酒) — Commonly called "rice wine" in North America, sake is an alcoholic beverage made from brewing rice.
  • Seiyū (声優) — Japanese voice actor. Not anime voice actor as seiyū also perform for radio shows and video games as well as do dubs for foreign TV shows and movies.
  • Shōjo (少女) — "Young woman" is, in western usage, a style of anime and manga intended for girls.
  • Shōjo-ai — Otaku neologism coined following the form of shōnen-ai, denoting lesbian content, typically for material without explicit sex, in anime, manga, and related fan fiction. (q.v. yuri)
  • Shōnen (少年) — "Young boy" is, in western usage, a style of anime and manga intended for boys. These works are characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists, and unrealistically endowed female characters providing fanservice.
  • Shudo — Abbreviation for wakashudo. — The Way of Young Men age structured homosexuality in Samurai society.
  • Suki — "To love" in Japanese.
  • Suki da — I love you.

[edit] T

  • Taicho — Commander.
  • Taisa — Colonel.
  • Tatami (畳) Mats — Traditional Japanese flooring made of woven straw and of uniform size and shape, bordered by brocade or green cloth. Room sizes are typically measured by the number of tatami mats they contain.
  • Tataka — fight.

[edit] U

[edit] V

  • Visual Kei — A Japanese form of rock music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes but whose musical style varies.

[edit] W

  • Wakashudo — The Way of Young Men age structured homosexuality in Samurai society. (see Shudo)
  • Wakizashi — a short Japanese sword, "side arm"

[edit] X

[edit] Y

  • Yaoi — Japanese acronym from '‘No climax, no point, no meaning’' (Yama nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi) — Male-on-male sexual content. Sometimes used for all male/male romantic and sexual content.
  • Yukata — Traditional Japanese garment normally worn in summer or for festivals. Associated with inns and hot springs. A casual form of kimono.
  • Yuri — Otaku jargon term for lesbian content, typically used to denote only the most sexually explicit end of the spectrum, in anime, manga, and related fan fiction. (q.v. shōjo-ai)

[edit] Z

  • Zettai Ryoiki

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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