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美少年 (bishounen) Japanese meaning: beautiful boy | Kotomora
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He is the most beautiful boy in the class.
That pretty boy is working as a model.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 美び 少しょう 年ねん として 登とう 場じょう する for someone to appear (in a story) as a beautiful boy
In that anime, the protagonist appears as a beautiful boy.
美び 少しょう 年ねん に 育そだ つ to grow up into a beautiful boy
People said he would grow up to be a beautiful boy even when he was little.
美び 少しょう 年ねん 役やく を 演えん じる to play the role of a beautiful-boy character
Related words 美少年 emphasizes youthful, delicate or androgynous beauty typically in teens, while イケメン is a casual modern term for a good-looking guy of any age without that androgynous nuance.
美少年 refers specifically to a beautiful young boy, whereas 美男子 is the broader, more formal term for a handsome man of any age.
美形 describes fine, often androgynous facial looks and can apply to any gender, while 美少年 is used only for boys.
二枚目 is a theatrical term for a handsome leading man (often adult), while 美少年 focuses on youthful, boyish beauty.
Etymology Compound of 美 (beautiful) and 少年 (boy). The term has been used since at least the early 20th century and gained wider cultural prominence through manga and anime in the late 20th century.
That young actor caused a stir by playing a beautiful-boy role.
