Chibi

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This article is about the Japanese word Chibi. For the Battle of Chibi in China, see Battle of Red Cliffs. For the city, see Chibi City.

Chibi (ちび? can also be written 禿び[1]) is a Japanese word meaning "short person" or "small child." The word has gained currency amongst fans of manga and anime. Its meaning is of someone or some animal that is small. It can be translated as "little," but is not used the same way as chiisana (tiny, small, little in Japanese). A prototypical example of the former usage in the original Japanese which brought the term to the attention of Western fans is Chibiusa, a pet name for the diminutive daughter of Sailor Moon formed from Chibi Usagi ("Little Usagi").[2] An example of the latter usage is small cute dolls of anime characters being referred to as Chibis.

In English-speaking culture, the term chibi has mostly been conflated with the term super deformed and the two are often used interchangeably.

The term chibi is not confined to manga or anime. For example, the Sakura Saku character in Nodame Cantabile is nicknamed O-Chibi-chan, even in the Japanese live action drama rendition. A Chibi character in a Japanese live action drama is usually played by a small person or a child.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chibi (ちび) (Japanese). Daijisen dictionary / Yahoo Japan. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  2. ^ Sailor Moon volume 3 translation. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.

[edit] See also