Moe

Moe (萌え, pronounced [mo.e]) is a Japanese slang word. Moe does not have one concrete definition, but is used in a variety of ways. People use Moe as a feeling or characteristic. The term "moe" can be tacked on to the end of any personality trait or physical trait to create a new type of moe. According to Patrick W. Galbraith it means "a rarefied pseudo-love for certain fictional characters (in anime, manga, and the like) and their related embodiments." notes that it is a pun derived from a Japanese word that literally means "budding," as with a plant that is about to flower, and thus it can also be used to mean "budding" as with a preadolescent girl. Since this word is also a homonym for "burning" pronounced moe (燃え), there is also speculation that the word stems from the burning passion felt for the characters. The word has come to be used to mean one particular kind of "adorable", one specific type of "cute", mainly as applied to fictional characters.

The word is occasionally spelled Moé, and was originally related to a strong interest in a particular type or style of character in video games, anime or manga. "Moe!" is also used within anime fandom as an interjection. Girls who are moe are called moekko (萌えっ娘) from the honorific "娘" meaning "female child".