chibi

Chibi is a drawing style from anime and manga where characters are shrunk into cute, baby-like versions with huge heads, big eyes and tiny bodies. A character drawn this way is also called a chibi.

What chibi means

Merriam-Webster defines chibi as a style of illustration featuring simply drawn figures with disproportionately large heads and eyes on small bodies, and also as a character drawn in that style. Its slang page sums it up as a cute, baby version of a cartoon character with a big head. Chibis keep the key features of the original character, hair, outfit, signature weapon, but squash everything into an adorable little package.

In anime, characters often turn chibi for a moment of comedy or embarrassment. Fans draw chibi versions of their favorites for stickers, keychains and fan art.

Examples

• “She sells chibi stickers of every main character.”
• “The show switches to chibi style whenever someone gets flustered.”
• “Can you draw me as a chibi for my profile picture?”

Where it came from

Chibi comes from a Japanese word for a small child or undersized person, used affectionately (or sometimes as a put-down) a bit like “shorty.” Merriam-Webster says the illustration style spread in Japan in the 1980s and went global in the 1990s, through series like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Its earliest English record of the word is from around 2000.

Related terms

• Kawaii: cute.
• Moe: strong affection for a character.
• Uwu: a cute emoticon face.
• Cosplay: dressing up as a character.

See more terms like this in our anime slang guide.