name
Meaning 1
A surname from Japanese.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
yaoi
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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you′ē
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yä′oi
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/ˈjaʊ̯.i/
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/ˈjɑ.ɔɪ̯/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -aʊi
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rhymes with -ɑɔɪ
noun
Meaning 2
A narrative or visual work featuring a romantic or sexual relationship between two or more men.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Japanese, countable, especially, uncountable
Topics: fiction, literature, media, publishing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A form of hentai involving two or more men in a gay relationship.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Japanese, countable, uncountable
Topics: lifestyle, media, pornography, sexuality
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Japanese 矢追 (Yaoi).
Borrowed from Japanese やおい (yaoi), an acronym of 山(やま)無(な)し (yama nashi, “no climax”), 落(お)ち無(な)し (ochi nashi, “no point”), and 意味(いみ)無(な)し (imi nashi, “no meaning”), originally mocking those who criticised early yaoi works for being too focused on sex scenes instead of storylines.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: يَاوِي (yāwī) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Bengali: ইয়াওই (iẏaōi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Dutch: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Esperanto: jaŭojo — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- French: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- German: Yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Hebrew: יאוי — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Hiligaynon: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Hindi: याओइ (yāoi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Italian: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Japanese: やおい (yaoi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Korean: 야오이 (yaoi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Marathi: याओइ (yāoi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Mongolian: яои (jaoi) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Portuguese: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Russian: яо́й (jaój) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Spanish: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Turkish: yaoi — narrative involving men in a gay relationship
- Ukrainian: яо́й (jaój) — narrative involving men in a gay relationship