shounen ai

noun

A narrative or visual work featuring a romance or sexual relationship between two or more males.

OriginJapanese 少年愛 →
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Meanings

nounshounen ai (plural shounen ai)

alternative shōnen-ai

  1. JapanesefictionA narrative or visual work featuring a romance or sexual relationship between two or more males.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
yaoi

Origin

  1. Japanese少年愛
  2. Englishshounen ai

Borrowed from Japanese 少年愛 (shōnen ai).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shounen ai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shounen%20ai

MLA

“shounen ai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shounen%20ai. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shounen ai,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shounen%20ai.

Source: shounen ai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.