Otokonoko

Otokonoko (男の娘, "male daughter" or "male girl", also pronounced as otoko no musume) is a Japanese term for men who have a culturally feminine gender expression.^[1]^[2] This includes, among others, males with feminine appearances, or those cross-dressing. "Otokonoko" is a play on the word 男の子 ("boy", from the characters for 'male' and 'child'), which is also pronounced otokonoko; in the slang term, the kanji for "child" (子) is substituted with "daughter"/"girl" (娘).

The term originated in Japanese manga^[2] and Internet culture in the 2000s, but the concept reflects a broad range of earlier traditions and examples of male cross-dressing in Japan, such as onnagata in kabuki theater.^{[citation needed]} Its popularity increased around 2009, with the rise of dedicated maid cafés, fashion stores, cosmetic products, and a range of popular media in the otaku culture.^[3] It is often combined with the cosplay of female fictional characters by men (crossplay).^[1]

By extension, otokonoko is also a genre of media and fiction about feminine-looking or feminine-dressing men, and often contains erotic or romantic elements. It is mainly aimed at male audience but also appears in a lot of shōjo manga.^{[citation needed]} Otokonoko characters have also begun to appear in mainstream Japanese popular entertainment such as manga, anime, and video games.^[1]