Yuri

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or emotional relationships between female characters in literature, manga, anime, and other forms of storytelling ; a term also used to describe the affection or love depicted between women, often celebrated within fan communities ; a broader cultural concept referring to the appreciation and representation of female same-sex intimacy in various artistic expressions
2. A category of narrative and visual art highlighting bonds and love between women characters ; an expression used in fandoms to denote stories or relationships involving female-female romance or affection ; a stylistic and thematic approach in media emphasizing emotional and often romantic connections among women
3. Referring to works or themes centered on the depiction of romantic or intense emotional connections between women ; a term embraced by fans and creators to identify stories of female same-sex relationships ; an artistic and cultural motif focusing on the portrayal and exploration of love and intimacy among women in creative content

Etymology: Japanese "yuri" simply means "lily," the flower, and the term's use for stories about love between women comes from a deliberate pairing with "bara" ("rose"), a word that had already been used for love between men. The lily was chosen as the female counterpart, so the genre's name is a botanical metaphor rather than a direct description of its subject. The borrowing into English is recent and runs straight from Japanese, with no intermediate European language. Readers encountered it through Japanese manga and anime, where the label came to cover stories centered on women's emotional and romantic bonds, and English-speaking fandoms adopted it as a ready-made term. The word is now used more broadly, as an adjective-like label for media and fan works that foreground this kind of intimacy, though the noun form remains the most common.

Synonyms: female homoeroticism, girls' love