For anyone exploring the world of Boys’ Love from Japan
Welcome to the world of Japanese BL (Boys’ Love)!
Whether you’re a long-time fujoshi or just getting started, here are some of the most common and important terms you’ll encounter in Japanese BL culture.
🧑🤝🧑 Character Roles & Pairing Dynamics Term Meaning Seme (攻め) The dominant or “top” in a relationship. Often strong, assertive, or protective. Uke (受け) The submissive or “bottom.” Often gentle, emotional, or physically smaller. Riba (リバ) “Reversible” – characters who can switch roles between seme and uke. Kotei (固定) “Fixed” roles – some fans prefer one character always as seme or uke. Sayuu (左右) Literally “left/right” – refers to the name order in pairings (A×B vs B×A), indicating role positions.
📚 Popular Tropes & Genres Term Meaning Jun’ai (純愛) Pure love – emotionally focused, tender stories. Happy End (ハッピーエンド) Stories with a positive ending. Meriba (メリバ) Bittersweet ending – love remains, but often ends in separation or death. Bad End (バッドエンド) Dark or tragic conclusion. Omegaverse (オメガバース) A popular AU (alternate universe) trope with Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, heat cycles, and mpreg (male pregnancy). Toshi no Sa (年の差) Age-gap romance. Shujū (主従) Master/servant relationship. Often features loyalty and power imbalance. Osananajimi (幼馴染) Childhood friends turned lovers. Tsundere (ツンデレ) A character who is cold or harsh at first, but becomes sweet and affectionate. Yandere (ヤンデレ) A character who is obsessively in love – sometimes dangerously so.
🎨 Fandom Language Term Meaning Oshi (推し) Your “favorite” character – someone you strongly support or love. Jirai (地雷) A “trigger” or personal no-go element (e.g., a pairing you can’t stand). Numa (沼) Literally “swamp” – the feeling of falling deep into a fandom you can’t escape. Toutoi (尊い) “Too precious!” – used when something is overwhelmingly beautiful or moving. Kami (神) “God-tier” – used for amazing artists or creators. Kapu (カプ) Short for “coupling” – refers to romantic pairings. Koushiki (公式) Canon – relationships confirmed in the original source. Netsuzou (捏造) Fan-created (non-canon) elements like backstories or relationships.
📚 Doujinshi & Event Terms Term Meaning Doujinshi (同人誌) Self-published fan comics, often romantic or erotic. Circle (サークル) The artist or group creating doujinshi. Space (スペース) Booth space at a convention or event. Copybon (コピー本) Low-volume, photocopied doujinshi – often handmade. Sairoku (再録) A reprint or collection of older works. Kanbai (完売) “Sold out” – a badge of success for any circle.
🔞 NSFW & Mature Content Term Meaning Ero (エロ) Erotic content. R18 Restricted to readers aged 18 and over. Shichu (シチュ) “Situation” – a specific setting or trope in a story (e.g., office romance, kidnapping). Noukou (濃厚) “Rich” or intense – used for emotionally or sexually charged scenes. Jigo (事後) “After” – scenes or art set after intimacy.
💬 Miscellaneous & Abbreviations Term Meaning × (Cross) Indicates pairings. Example: A×B means A is the seme, B is the uke. CP Short for “couple” – used to refer to a pairing. Yume (夢) “Dream” – stories where the reader self-inserts as the romantic interest. NL / GL / BL Hetero (Normal Love), Girls’ Love, Boys’ Love. Fandom tags.
🧠 Cultural Insight
Fujoshi (腐女子) : Literally “rotten girl” – a female fan of BL.Fudanshi (腐男子) : A male fan of BL.Shounen-ai : Older term for soft BL – still used overseas but not common in Japan.Joshi BL : BL specifically aimed at female readers.
This glossary is just the beginning – the deeper you go, the more there is to discover in the world of BL.
👉 If you’re ready to fall into the Numa , follow my blog for handpicked doujinshi, artist spotlights, and reviews from a 20-year veteran fujoshi in Japan 🇯🇵💙
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