Bijin
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Bijin (美人?) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful person," but analogous to "beautiful woman" due to the feminine associations of the adjective bi (美?). It can also be translated as "a beauty," or in modern, informal contexts, as "babe". Bijin are generally symmetrical, adorned, occasionally cute. Up until the early 20th century, decorative portrait pictures of bijin (bijinga) were popular.
The word bijin is also occasionally used by English-speakers and other non-Japanese to refer to both bishōnen (male) and bishōjo (female).
In Chinese, 美人 (Mandarin pinyin: méirén) also means (a female) "beauty".
Akita in northern Japan is famous for 'Akita Bijin' who are so called because of their pale skin, round faces, and high voices[citation needed]. Ono no Komachi was one such historical beauty.
Fukuoka, the largest city on the southern island of Kyūshū, also prides itself on a large bijin population[citation needed].
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