Bishounen
From Fanlore
| Synonyms: | prettyboy |
| See also: | anime, manga, yaoi |
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From the Japanese 美少年 (bishounen), meaning "beautiful boy," describing a particular aesthetic of androgynous male beauty. While in Japanese, "bishounen" refers specifically to youths under twenty, and "biseinen" is used with beautiful men of age, Western anime and manga fandom often uses "bishounen" in reference to any good-looking male character, whatever the age.
Also spelled "bishonen," and sometimes shortened to "bishie" or "bish," which can be used as an adjective as well as a noun, e.g. "Sephiroth is so bishie!"