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is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an
adjective In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ma ...
, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a
verb A verb () is a word ( part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descri ...
, means "to have sex", and as a
noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
, it is used to describe someone of
lascivious behavior Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...
. It is softer than the Japanese word ''ero'' (エロ from
Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the earlie ...
or "erotic"), and does not imply perversion in the way ''
hentai Hentai is anime and manga pornography. A loanword from Japanese, the original term ( ) does not describe a genre of media, but rather an abnormal sexual desire or act, as an abbreviation of . In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exi ...
'' does. The word ''ecchi'' has been adopted by western fans of Japanese media to describe works with sexual overtones. In western culture, it has come to be used to refer to
softcore Soft core or Softcore may refer to: * Softcore microprocessor, microprocessor implemented using logic synthesis and perhaps other circuits * Soft core (synthesis), a digital circuit that can be wholly implemented using logic synthesis * Soft rock ...
or playful sexuality, as distinct from the word ''hentai'', which connotes perversion or
fetishism A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over oth ...
.Sebastian Keller: ''Der Manga und seine Szene in Deutschland von den Anfängen in den 1980er Jahren bis zur Gegenwart: Manga- mehr als nur große Augen'', GRIN Verlag, 2008, , p. 127 Works described as ecchi by the western fans do not show
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetra ...
or
genitalia A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
, but sexual themes are referenced. ''Ecchi'' themes are a type of fan service, and can be found in most comedy shōnen and
seinen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like ''Weekly Man ...
and
harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...
.Robin E. Brenner: ''Understanding manga and anime.'' Libraries Unlimited, 2007, , p. 89.Ask John
Why Do Americans Hate Harem Anime?
animenation.net. May 20. 2005. Note: fan service and ecchi refer to similar concepts.


Etymology and use in Japan

The correct transcription of the word in Hepburn notation is "etchi". However, it is typically written as "ecchi" in the Western world. In the word ''hentai'' (変態), the first kanji ''hen'' refers to strangeness or weird, and the second kanji ''tai'' refers to a condition or state. ''Hentai'' was introduced in the
Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
as a term for ''change of form'' or ''transformation'' in science and
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
. In this context, it was used to refer to disorders such as
hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...
or to describe
paranormal phenomena Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...
like
hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologic ...
or
telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
. Slowly, the meaning expanded until it had the meaning of ''non-standard''. In the 1910s, it was used in
sexology Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists ap ...
in the compound expression "hentai seiyoku" (, ''abnormal sexual desire'', which is rephrased as "
sexual perversion Paraphilia (previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as sexual interest in anything ot ...
" in modern times) and became popular within the theory of sexual deviance (''Hentai seiyoku ron''), published by Eiji Habuto and Jun'ichirō Sawada in 1915. In the 1920s, many publications dealt with deviant sexual desires and the Ero Guro Nansensu movement. Matsuzawa calls it a period characterized by a "''hentai boom''". In the 1930s, censorship became more common leading to fewer books being published on this theme. After the Second World War, in the 1950s, interest in hentai was renewed, and people would sometimes refer to it just by the first English letter, ''H'' (pronounced as , ). In 1952, the magazine ''Shukan Asahi'' reported that a woman who was groped by a stranger in a movie theater reacted with ''"ara etchi yo"'' (''"hey, that's perverse"''). In this context, ''etchi'' should be understood as ''sexually forward'' and is synonymous to ''iyarashii'' (, dirty or disgusting) or ''sukebe'' (, a person with sex on the brain). From this, the word ''etchi'' started to branch off, and assume new connotations. In the 1960s, ''etchi'' started to be used by youth to refer to sex in general. By the 1980s, it was used to mean ''sex'' as in the phrase ''etchi suru'' (to have sex). Other neologisms such as ''sekkusu'' are often used to refer to sex, in addition to the term ''ecchi.'' ''Ecchi'' is now used as a qualifier for anything related to erotic or pornographic content. Its exact meaning varies with context, but in general, it is most similar to the English word "naughty" (when used as an adjective). The Japanese media tend to use other words, e.g. ''ero-manga'' (), ''adult manga'' (), or anime / manga for persons over 18 years (, ). The prefix "H-" is also sometimes used to refer to pornographic genres, e.g. H-anime, H-manga, etc.


Western usage

In Japan, oiroke manga (お色気漫画) is used to describe manga with very light or playful erotic content such as is found in shonen manga. In western nations though, ''ecchi'' has become the preferred term. The more explicit seijin manga (成人向け漫画, ''seijinmukemanga'') are more likely to be referred to as hentai in the west. This does correlate to a similar distinction in Japanese. For instance, if a young woman were to call a young man ''e(t/c)chi'', that might be construed as flirting, whereas ''hentai'' sounds more like condemnation. Works aimed at a female audience can contain scenes which are seen as ecchi. Examples are ''R-18 Love Report!'' from Emiko Sugi and ''
Oruchuban Ebichu is a Japanese manga series by Risa Itō that was published by Futabasha Publishers. It first ran through Shufutoseikatsusha magazine ''Giga&chan'', beginning in the 1990 and next moving to ''Action Pizazz'', publication by Futabasha. It was ...
'' from
Risa Itō , also romanized as Risa Itou, is a Japanese manga artist. She was born in 1969 in Hara Town, Suwa District in Nagano Prefecture, the eldest of three sisters. She graduated from Suwa Futaba High School and studied ''Formative Fine Arts'' at ...
, which are aimed at the shōjo and
josei , also known as and its abbreviation , is an editorial category of Japanese comics that emerged in the 1980s. In a strict sense, ''josei'' refers to manga marketed to an audience of adult women, contrasting ''shōjo'' manga, which is market ...
audience, but contain rather explicit content. Common elements of ecchi include conversations with sexual references or misunderstandings (e.g. double entendre or innuendo), misunderstandings in visual depictions (e.g. suggestive posing), revealing or sexualized clothing (e.g. underwear or
cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, a ...
), nudity (e.g. ripped apart clothing, wet clothing, clothing malfunctions) and the portrayal of certain actions (e.g. groping). This kind of sexuality is often used for comical effect. A typical example scene would contain a male protagonist that trips over a female character, giving the impression of sexual harassment. The concept of ecchi is very closely related to fan service. While fan service describes every aspect to please the fans, ecchi relates to sexual themes. A special kind of fan service, that is usually bound or justified by the narrative.Robin E. Brenner: ''Understanding Manga and Anime''. Libraries Unlimited, 2007, , p. 295


Typical examples

There are many elements that may classify a work as ecchi, but these elements have to occur quite often (for example, in all episodes of a show). Graphically speaking, different techniques are used to show sexy pictures, usually by revealing parts of the female body such as the back or breasts. Some of these patterns are recurrent, such as scenes in a shower, hot springs (''onsen''), or fighting scenes in which clothes are torn apart. The imagination of characters is also a common device for showing their sexual fantasies, as well as transformation scenes of
magical girl is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transform ...
s. In the end, any excuse is valid to show a character partially or completely nude.


Nudity

Levels of nudity vary strongly between works depending on the intended audience and the preferences of the authors. For example, in some cases, though the breasts are shown on the screen, nipples and genitals are obscured by props, clothing, or effects. This kind of censorship was typical for
Lala Satalin Deviluke is a fictional character and the main female protagonist of the manga series '' To Love Ru'', created by Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki. In the series, Lala is an alien princess from the planet Deviluke who, to avoid marrying one of her marriage ...
in ''
To Love Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank� ...
'', Blair in '' Soul Eater'' or even
Asuka Langley Soryu is a fictional character from the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' franchise created by Gainax. She first appears in the original anime series, and also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, including video games, t ...
from ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese Mecha anime and manga, mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko Production, Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo fr ...
''. Meanwhile, in ''
Ladies versus Butlers! is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Kōzuki, with accompanying illustrations by Munyū. The series includes 13 novels released between September 2006 and March 2012, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko i ...
'' and other anime, the nipples are clearly visible through clothing, no matter how thick it is.
Nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low bloo ...
s are a typical reaction to nudity in Japanese works, as they represent sexual arousal; this is due to an exaggeration of high blood pressure whilst aroused.


Panties

The use of panty shots ''(panchira)'', or visibility of the underwear (
panties Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genit ...
), is one common motif. Typically the male will react in an exaggerated manner and be castigated. The color and style of the panties are seen as an indication of the female's character, e.g. white for innocent characters, striped for shy characters, and red for sexually aggressive characters. Panties are a popular main theme in ecchi (for instance, ''
Chobits is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Young Magazine'' from September 2000 to October 2002, with its chapters collected ...
'' and ''
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax, as well as a series of tie-in media developed around it. The series ran from October to December 2010 on BS Nittele (a free-to-air satellite service of Nippon Television). In English- ...
'' feature them heavily), but they are also featured in other shows just for sexual appeal.


Sexual activity

Although revealing or sexualized clothing, nudity or groping may occur in ecchi works, there usually is no explicit sexual intercourse in the works; in the west, such works are classified as
hentai Hentai is anime and manga pornography. A loanword from Japanese, the original term ( ) does not describe a genre of media, but rather an abnormal sexual desire or act, as an abbreviation of . In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exi ...
. However, in an ecchi work, it may appear as if a couple are having sex. For instance, the two may be seen in silhouette from outside a tent, appearing to be having sex, although they are doing something nonsexual.


See also

*
Adult animation Adult animation, also known as mature animation, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation, is any type of animated motion work that is catered specifically to adult interests, and is mainly targeted and marketed towards adults and adolescen ...
*
Cartoon pornography Cartoon pornography, or animated pornography, is the portrayal of illustrated or animated fictional cartoon characters in erotic or sexual situations. Animated cartoon pornography or erotic animation, is a subset of the larger field of adult ani ...
*
Doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created by ...
*
Exhibitionism Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to group ...
* Fan service *
Hentai Hentai is anime and manga pornography. A loanword from Japanese, the original term ( ) does not describe a genre of media, but rather an abnormal sexual desire or act, as an abbreviation of . In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exi ...
*
Not safe for work Not safe for work (NSFW) is Internet slang or shorthand used to mark links to content, videos, or website pages the viewer may not wish to be seen looking at in a public, formal or controlled environment. The marked content may contain nudity, p ...
*
Nudity in film In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scenes ...
* Rule 34 *
Scopophilia In psychology and psychiatry, scopophilia or scoptophilia ( grc, σκοπέω , "look to", "to examine" + , "the tendency towards") is an aesthetic pleasure drawn from looking at an object or a person. In human sexuality, the term scoptophilia des ...
*
Softcore porn Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Softc ...
* Thirst trap *
Voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...


References

{{Film genres Anime and manga genres Anime and manga terminology Hentai Japanese sex terms Pornography