Ecchi
anime and manga genre focusing on playful sexual actions
Ecchi (エッチ, etchi; pronounced [et.tɕi]) is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an adjective, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a verb, ecchi suru (エッチする or Ｈする) means "to have sex", and as a noun, it is used to describe someone of lascivious behavior. It is softer than the Japanese word ero (エロ from "Eros" or "erotic"), and does not imply perversion in the way hentai does.
The word ecchi has been adopted by western fans of Japanese media to describe works with sexual overtones. In western culture, it has come to be used to refer to softcore or playful sexuality, as distinct from the word hentai, which connotes perversion or fetishism. Works described as ecchi by the western fans do not show sexual intercourse or genitalia, but sexual themes are referenced. Ecchi themes are a type of fan service, and can be found in most comedy shōnen and seinen manga and harem works.
Etymology and use in Japan
The correct transcription of the word エッチ in Hepburn notation is "etchi". However, it is typically written as "ecchi" in the Western world.
Etchi in and of itself is merely an abbreviation of hentai.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q219559. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ecchi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.