chibi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese ちび (chibi, “something small; runt, dwarf; pipsqueak”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃiːbi/, /ˈt͡ʃɪbi/
• Rhymes: -iːbi, -ɪbi

Noun

chibi (countable and uncountable, plural chibis)

1. (countable, anime, manga) A child-like character with exaggerated features, particularly in anime.
2. (uncountable, anime, manga) A style of cartooning in which the characters are drawn to be very small and cute.
   • 2013, Christopher Hart, Manga for the Beginner:

     Since the eyes take up so much room on the chibi face, the head needs to be stretched and, therefore, usually ends up being oval-shaped to accommodate the oval-shaped eyes.

Translations

character

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: Q版 (zh) (kiù bǎn)

• Japanese: SDのキャラクター (sūpā deforume no kyarakutā)

style

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: Q版 (zh) (kiù bǎn)

• Japanese: SD (sūpā deforume), スーパーデフォルメ (sūpā deforume)

See also

• caricature
• superdeformed

Japanese

Romanization

chibi

1. Rōmaji transcription of ちび