Chibi (style)

Chibi, also called super deformation (SD), is an art style from Japan that is often used in anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics). In the chibi style, characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, usually with large heads, big eyes, and small, chubby bodies with short limbs. The style became popular in the anime and manga fandom through manga works and merchandising.

Word meaning and origin

The English term chibi comes from the Japanese chibi kyara (ちびキャラ, 'tiny character'), where chibi (ちび) is a slang word for very short people and children, which comes from chibiru (禿びる, v. 'to wear down'), and kyara (キャラ) is taken from the English word "character".

"Super deformed" and "S.D." come from Japanese deforume (デフォルメ, 'stylistic distortion'), itself from French déformer.

Related pages

Kawaii — Japanese culture of cuteness

References

↑ Lord-Moncrief, Devon (2023-07-07). "What Makes a Chibi Anime Character?". YumeTwins. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
↑ 松村明 (November 2006). 大辞林 daijirin (in Japanese). 三省堂. ISBN 4-385-13905-9.
↑ 日本国語大辞典 Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (in Japanese) (2nd ed.). Tōkyō: Shogakukan. 2000. ISBN 4-09-521001-X.^{[permanent dead link]}
↑ "Which Japanese words come from French?". sci.lang.japan.

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[1] Lord-Moncrief, Devon (2023-07-07). "What Makes a Chibi Anime Character?". YumeTwins. Retrieved 2026-01-17.

[2] 松村明 (November 2006). 大辞林 daijirin (in Japanese). 三省堂. ISBN 4-385-13905-9.

[3] 日本国語大辞典 Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (in Japanese) (2nd ed.). Tōkyō: Shogakukan. 2000. ISBN 4-09-521001-X.^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "Which Japanese words come from French?". sci.lang.japan.