美少女(びしょうじょ)

びしょうじょ
noun
beautiful girl; pretty young girl
person
1. beautiful girl; pretty young girl
A young girl or teenage girl who is considered beautiful. Widely used in anime, manga, and gaming contexts to describe a character archetype.
美少女(びしょうじょ)キャラが人気(にんき)だ。
Beautiful-girl characters are popular.
美少女(びしょうじょ)ゲームは日本(にほん)で独自(どくじ)に発展(はってん)したジャンルだ。
Bishoujo games are a genre that developed uniquely in Japan.
変身(へんしん)する美少女(びしょうじょ)戦士(せんし)のアニメは世界中(せかいじゅう)で愛(あい)されている。
Anime featuring transforming beautiful-girl warriors are loved worldwide.

Compound of 美(び) (beautiful) + 少女(しょうじょ) (young girl). The male counterpart is 美少年(びしょうねん).

Common collocations

  • 美少女(びしょうじょ)キャラ (beautiful-girl character)
  • 美少女(びしょうじょ)ゲーム (bishoujo game — visual novel genre)
  • 美少女(びしょうじょ)戦士(せんし) (beautiful-girl warrior — as in magical girl anime)

Cultural note

In everyday Japanese, 美少女(びしょうじょ) can describe any pretty young girl. However, it is strongly associated with anime, manga, and game subculture, where it refers to a specific character type. The term has been borrowed into English as "bishoujo" in fan communities.

Related Words

Compare: 美女(びじょ) (beautiful woman)
general
Added 2026.2.28 21:11 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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