In this Romance Manga Dictionary, I want to give you an overview of typical terms, concepts, and tropes you’ll often come across while reading romance manga. Feel free to suggest more words I should add!

Shoujo vs Shounen vs Josei

• Shōjo (少女) means “young woman” or “young girl” in Japanese. Shōjo manga are typically aimed at a female audience between 12 and 18 years old, although the readership is often much broader and not limited to that age group. These stories often focus on romance and tend to portray it in an idealized way. But Shoujo doesn’t necessarily mean “a highschool girl is falling in love”. Banana fish for example is a pretty dar action thriller and is categorized as a Shoujo. In search of some Shoujo to read? Check out this list: Shoujo without tropes.
• Shoujo-ai focuses on the relationship between two girls and is also aimed at young women as a target audience.
• Shōnen manga (少年漫画) is targeted at young males between the ages of 12 and 18 – although the age group varies. The meaning of Shonen is “boy” or “youth”.
• Shounen-ai (少年愛) focuses on the romantic (but non-explicit) relationship between two young boys.
• Josei manga (女性漫画) is aimed at adult women, as the term josei means “woman” or “female” in Japanese. Josei manga (女性漫画) is aimed at adult women, as the term josei means “woman” or “female” in Japanese. These stories often explore more mature themes, such as work and everyday life struggles.

What do moe and gap moe mean?

• Moe (萌え) can be translated as “sprouting” or “budding” in Japanese, but it is commonly used to describe a strong sense of affection toward a character. These characters often follow recognizable archetypes and are designed to evoke feelings of cuteness and protectiveness in the audience.
• Gap moe still evokes the same feelings, but it comes from a character or behavior you wouldn’t normally expect. For example, when a delinquent does something unexpectedly cute and makes you want to hug them, that’s gap moe.

What is a Yandere?

• Yandere (ヤンデレ): A Yandere is a character that has strong feelings for another person, but gets psychotic when they are not answered. They often hurt the person they love or themselves. Yandere is a combination of yanderu (病んでる) which means sick and deredere (デレデレ) which means flirting. Here are some Romance Manhwa with a Yandere ML, if you’re interested.
• Tsundere (ツンデレ): A tsundere is a character who is often portrayed as cold, harsh, or rude, but has a softer side that is only shown in certain situations. The term comes from tsuntsun (ツンツン), which describes a standoffish or aloof attitude, and deredere (デレデレ), which refers to being affectionate or lovestruck.
• Kuudere (クーデレ): A kuudere is often portrayed as calm, distant, or seemingly emotionless, but they usually hide their true feelings beneath the surface.
• Deredere (デレデレ): Deredere characters are cheerful, bubbly and energetic. They show their affection openly.
• Dandere (だんデレ): A Dandere is shy, asocial, and often afraid to talk. They are very quiet and insecure, although they open up when with the right person. Dandere is a combination of “danmari” (黙だんまり) meaning “silence” and „deredere“

Kotatsu and Gokon – things you often read about in a Shoujo Manga

• Kotatsu (炬燵 or 火燵): A kotatsu is a traditional Japanese heating table. It is usually low to the ground and covered with a blanket that traps the heat underneath, keeping the space warm.
• Gōkon (合コン): A gōkon is a Japanese group date where an equal number of men and women meet to get to know each other. Through games and conversation, the goal is often to form pairs by the end of the evening. Almost every Romance Manga mentions one of these.

If you want me to add something to the Romance Manga Dictionary, feel free to comment below.