What is Ecchi?

How much do you know about Ecchi? Do you know how it relates to Hentai?

The word Ecchi (エッチ) seems to have a varied usage around the world, and sometimes the same country can’t quite stick with a definition. I had to do a little more research than usual to get to the bottom of this term.

If you like, you can go to sites like Wikipedia and see an incredibly long history that goes back literally 100 years. But for those who want a short summary, you’ve come to the right place! First off, the actual term Ecchi derived from the first letter of Hentai using romaji (H). However, the Japanese language does have a “ch” sound alone, so they use “chi.” So Ecchi is basically the Japanese form of the letter H sound. The double C means you’re supposed to have a brief stop before the Chi sound. The pronunciation is Eh-chi.

In most Western countries, Ecchi is used to refer to lightly erotic displays in anime, manga, video games, and all Japanese-related media of that sort. It’s like a light form of Hentai without actually showing nudity or sex. Examples can include innuendos, when a character’s panties are exposed, when a character touches another character’s body parts by accident, or transparent clothes like at the top of this post! It’s similar to fan service, and leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader/watcher.

However, in Japan the term is used quite differently. Ecchi can be used as an adjective similar to “naughty” or “horny;” or it can be used as a verb (エッチする), as if saying “to have sex.” This is quite different from Hentai, which is more like perversion, even though Ecchi seems to have originated from Hentai.

I hoped I answered the question “What is Ecchi?” You can find more information on subculture terms just like this in my growing Otaku Encyclopedia.