waifu

plural waifus

1. InternetslanglifestyleA female fictional character from non-live-action visual media (typically an anime, manga, or video game) or non-fictional persona to whom one is romantically attracted and/or whom one considers one's wife.

   So long as I get to claim my virtual waifu and our 30 virtual children as tax deductions, I don't really care if I can't touch her.

   2008 October 30, Galen, “Re: Japanese launch campaign to marry comic book characters”, in rec.arts.manga (Usenet)

   3 more examples

   Seriously, it was fun, but here's hoping that they lay off some of the bits that got old real quick, like Mio getting scared easily. I would not like to have someone that timid as "mai waifu" (as if I'd marry a bloody high school girl anyway). Makes me wonder what that says about the otaku who worship her.

   2009 December 31, Dave Watson, “Re: K-ON! 2nd season announced”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet)

   Bradley Meek's portrayal of Lucky☆Star's protagonist is particularly worthy of notice in assessing the anime's take on the art-play dyad: “Konata Izumi is a high school otaku hardcore enough to know trivia about seventies giant robot and tokusatsu shows,” the critic proposes, “but not hardcore enough to own a bodypillow of her waifu [a 2D significant other]. […]

   2012, Dani Cavallaro, Kyoto Animation: A Critical Study and Filmography, McFarland & Company, published 2012, →ISBN, page 126

   “Literally no one asked us to launch waifus, but we did so anyway,” wrote Ebby Amir, whose X account has a label saying he’s an xAI employee.

   2025 July 16, David Ingram, “Musk's Grok 'companions' include a flirty anime character and an anti-religion panda”, in NBC News

   Synonyms: ball and chain, better half, boss, bride, dutch, 'er indoors, frow, geezer