shonen

S1H4O1N1E1N1
UK/ˈʃəʊ.nən/US/ˈʃoʊ.nən/

noun

A style of Japanese animation and comics aimed at a younger male audience.

OriginJapanese 少年 →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounshonen (uncountable)

alternative shōnen · alternative shounen

  1. uncountableanimeA style of Japanese animation and comics aimed at a younger male audience.
adjectiveshonen (comparative more shonen, superlative most shonen)

comparative more shonen · superlative most shonen · alternative shōnen · alternative shounen

  1. animeBeing in the style of shonen comics or animation.

Origin

  1. Japanese少年“few years”
  2. Englishshonen

From the Japanese 少年 (shōnen, “few years”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with shonen

Barcelonan
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Henson
Cite this entry
APA

shonen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shonen

MLA

“shonen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shonen. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shonen,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shonen.

Source: shonen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.