Moe (slang)

|Moe|}}, sometimes romanized as ''moé'', is a Japanese word that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in anime, manga, video games, and other media directed at the ''otaku'' market. ''Moe'', however, has also gained usage to refer to feelings of affection towards any subject.

''Moe'' is related to neoteny and the feeling of "cuteness" a character can evoke. The word ''moe'' originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Japan and is of uncertain origin, although there are several theories on how it came into use. ''Moe'' characters have expanded through Japanese media, and the concept has been commercialised. Contests, both online and in the real world, exist for ''moe''-styled things, including one run by one of the Japanese game rating boards. Various notable commentators such as Tamaki Saitō, Hiroki Azuma, and Kazuya Tsurumaki have also given their take on ''moe'' and its meaning Provided by Wikipedia