腐女子(ふじょし)

ふじょし
noun
fujoshi; female fan of boys' love (BL) content
informalcultureperson
1. fujoshi; female fan of boys' love (BL) manga, anime, and fiction
A woman or girl who enjoys manga, anime, novels, and other media depicting romantic or sexual relationships between male characters. The term originated as self-deprecating humor within the fandom.
彼女(かのじょ)は自称(じしょう)腐女子(ふじょし)だ。
She calls herself a fujoshi.
腐女子(ふじょし)向(む)けの同人誌(どうじんし)がたくさん売(う)られていた。
Many doujinshi aimed at fujoshi were being sold.
腐女子(ふじょし)という言葉(ことば)は、もともと当事者(とうじしゃ)たちが自虐的(じぎゃくてき)に使(つか)い始(はじ)めたものだ。
The word 'fujoshi' was originally used self-deprecatingly by the fans themselves.

A playful respelling of 婦女子(ふじょし) (women and girls), replacing 婦(ふ) with 腐(ふ) (rotten, decayed). The joke is that fans are "rotten" due to their interest in male-male romance fiction. The term originated as self-deprecating humor within the BL fandom community.

Etymology

  • 婦女子(ふじょし): women and girls (the standard word)
  • 腐(ふ): rotten, decayed — used humorously
  • The "rotten" label reflects the community's playful self-awareness

Related words

  • BL (ボーイズラブ): boys' love — the genre of male-male romance fiction
  • 同人誌(どうじんし): doujinshi — self-published fan works, often featuring BL content
  • 腐男子(ふだんし): fudanshi — the male equivalent; a man who enjoys BL content
  • 推(お)し: one's favorite character or person to support

Cultural note

The term has become widely known in mainstream Japanese culture. While originally self-deprecating, it is now used more neutrally, though it can still be considered rude if applied to someone without their consent. The BL genre is a major segment of Japanese publishing and doujinshi culture.

Related Words

Related: 同人誌(どうじんし) (doujinshi)
Related: 推(お)し (one's favorite character or person…)
Related: ボーイズラブ (boys' love)
general
Added 2026.4.1 0:35 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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