Oshi Terms 101 : A Guide

If you’re a beginner in the idol scene, wotaku community, or maybe someone who’s curious about these things, it gets confusing because there are a lot of terminologies and slang that are flying around across the internet.

I remember being really clueless and had little to no idea of what these meant until I talked to some of my japanese friends (who are also into 2d idols) and they walked me through the whole experience and of course, did some research on my own as well. Though there are a lot of words and the list just goes on and on, I chose the basic ones and what I think would be interesting for everyone to know!

Now the big question: WHAT THE HELL IS AN OSHI?

• Oshi (推し/おし)

– the word oshi literally means “push” but it is now the common term used for people who is a fan of something or someone.
– can also be referred to a person who likes a group or a person who likes a certain member.
– also commonly known as “stan/bias” in western fan terms.

Example:
私はABC推しです ➡️ (I am a fan of ABC)
推しはAさん➡️ (The person I am a fan of is A-san)

***Do note that the word ‘Oshi’ is widely used not only in the idol scene but also actors, voice actors, anime/game characters and so much more!***

• Tan-Oshi (単推し/たんおし)

– term used for someone who’s only loyal to one person or member.
– this is also popularly known as “Top Oshi”

• Hako-Oshi (箱推し/はこおし)

– literally means “Box Push”
– it is the term use to liking all members of a group.

To simply break it down:
箱 (hako) ➡️ the whole group
推し (oshi) ➡️ support

• Oshi Kaburi (推し被り)

– this refers to having the same oshi as an another fan.

• DD

– means “Daredemo Daisuki”
– this refer to fans who doesn’t have one favorite member in a group but rather loves multiple members of the group.
– also most commonly known as “multi-fandom”.

• Wotaku (ヲタク)

– it is mostly abbreviated as ヲタ which means fan.

ファン (fan) is the common mainstream term. BUT!!
ヲタク (wotaku) has more deeper feel than being just a ‘fan’.

An example situation for Fan VS Wotaku:
Fan ➡️ “He is handsome. I like him.”
Wotaku ➡️ “He is so handsome!!! I’M CRYING I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! Ahhh ;;; “

//That kind of feeling! LOL

• Onna wota-wota (女ヲタヲタ)

– means “Female fan’s fans” //I know sounds weird.
– this term is referred to someone who does not like the idol/group but rather who likes their female fans instead.
– mostly seen going to the live concert site not to watch and support the idols but to see their female fans. YIKES. PLS ALWAYS BE CAREFUL!

• Gachi-koi (ガチ恋/がちこい)

– means falling in love with their oshi.
– transformed from being just an ordinary fan to really want to fall in love with them.
– this is mostly used by male fans.

• Riako (リアコ)

– it’s a short term for “I’m in real love” / “Riaru ni Koi shiteru” (リアルに恋してる)
– Riako and Gachi-koi have similar meanings but this is only used by female fans.

• Kenashi Ai (貶し愛/けなしあい)

– this means saying hateful words/hating the person you like but deep inside it is a form of expressing your love for them aka “Playful rudeness”. Much like a Tsundere(??) LOLOL
– pretty common thing for this is making memes out of their oshi’s /ugly/ faces or expressions.

• Niwaka Ame (にわか雨)

– it is used as a negative connotation for people who became fans only because of a sudden surge of popularity of a certain series/group but then it dies down when the hype is not there anymore aka most commonly known as the “mainstreamers”.

The “niwaka” is written in kanji as 「俄」 which means “suddenly”.

The word ‘niwaka ame’ in japanese means ‘rain shower’ and just like rain showers it pours then it stops. In addition to that, ‘niwaka’ is also an abbreviation for the theatre act called “Niwaka Kyogen” an on the spot type of play that was held on the streets during Edo period and was very popular during at that time.
There is no negative element in the word “niwaka” but the fan term for it is becoming more common nowadays. Please do refrain from using it to other fans!

• MIHA (ミーハー)

– has similar meaning to ‘niwaka’
– this refers to people who are easily influenced
– aka follower of new trends

A situational example for that is when originally, you were not interested in liking this certain group/idol (or even a series) but everyone around you was very into it so you checked it out and became a fan.

There are many theories for the etymology of this word so I will present 3 of those!

1. During Showa Era, there were many young women whose name starts with “mi” (み) and “ha” (は). Those who were called “Mi-chan” and “Ha-chan” are referred to as young women who are obsessed with their hobbies and had little to no educational background. Nowadays, it’s also used thoroughly among men.

2. It’s a combination of the popular japanese dessert called “Mitsumame” and an old stage name of a well known Showa actor, “Chojiro Hayashi”

3. It comes from the words “Me” and “Her” in the english language.

• Resu (レス)

– means response
– refers to the idol’s response to you during events or live concerts, such as waving at you or doing what’s written in your “uchiwa”!

• All Pass (ぜんつう)

– someone who participates in all concerts and activities of their oshi hence the term ‘All Pass’

• Jizou (地蔵/じぞう)

– someone who’s at the event/live concert and just quietly looks at the idols and performers
– basically motionless

• Kakoi (囲い/かこい)

– someone who’s watching a live stream and spams in the comment section in an attempt to attract the attention of the one who’s broadcasting.

• Pile Up (積む積み/つむつみ)

– a fan who bought too many copies of the same cd/merchandise
– this is very common for fans especially when purchasing

• Number of Goods = Love

– its called グッズ量参戦歴 = 愛 but ofc that wouldn’t make sense when I translate it word by word LOL i think??? don’t sue me pls
– basically this means “The number of merchandise you have of your oshi/ how many times you participated in concerts = LOVE”

A gentle reminder that not buying merchs of your oshi’s doesn’t make you less any of a fan! I’ve heard from other’s experiences that they are starving themselves and would rather buy merchs and sacrifice buying their own personal needs. I have totally nothing against buying merchs because if it makes you happy, then go for it. I know the experience all too well since I love collecting and buying merch as well.
But PLEASE prioritize your money when you have to!

• Takai (他界/たかい)

– can also mean “another world” or “graduate”
(Ex: I have graduated from being a fan of this group. )
– refers to someone who has stopped being a fan due to various reasons.

• Kamitaiou (神対応/かみたいおう)

– aka “God’s Response”
– refers to an idol who has a good response to fans.

An example for this is when an idol reads fanmails from fans and shares his thoughts.

• Shiotaiou (塩対応/しおたいおう)

– basically the opposite of “kamitaiou”

• Hair Make (ヘアメク)

– just as the name suggests, its about styling hair! This is very popular among female fans and they usually go to the salon to make their hair look cute and stylish before a live concert or even when they just hang out with their friends.

In hair make you can put your oshi accessories! Think of it like an itabag, but for hair!

Price ranges about from ¥2000-¥5,000 om an average but it usually depends on the salon and how complex the style that you want to achieve ♡

• Oshi Ga Toutoi (推しが尊い)

– means “My Oshi is precious”
When you look up at the dictionary the word 「尊い」 means precious. However, the meaning is different now that it is a word that cannot be expressed by mere words alone and shows the highest degree form of liking your oshi.
It is an emotion that goes beyond “like” and “love” and is now on the level of loyalty and faith.

This word contains many meanings but has the same concept around it!

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Bonus Information:

Oshi’s around the net usually put an intro (its like a “carrd”) on their SNS’s where you’ll get to know more about them! They usually have these symbols to indicate what’s OK and not OK!

◎ – Very OK, Approves
○ – OK, Supports, Yes
△ – Partially OK (between ○ and X)
X – Absolutely not allowed, Prohibited

I hope this was helpful!
Thank you so much for reading!
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