Etymology

hentai

H4E1N1T1A1I1

Today it means: A work of anime or manga (or any similar medium) that contains heavily sexual or pornographic art. Full definition →

Japanese 変態
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The story

  1. Japanese · derived from変態
  2. Japanese · derived from変態
  3. English todayhentai

Pseudo-Japonism, derived from 変(へん)態(たい) (hentai, “pervert”), short for 変(へん)態(たい)性(せい)欲(よく)者(しゃ) (hentai seiyoku-sha, literally “person with abnormal sexual desires”). Attested since 1990.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.