Literally means "pretty boy," as in an attractive member of the male gender. Also spelled "bishonen," and sometimes shortened to "bish" and "bishie/bishy." It is a Japanese word, adopted by female anime fans in the rest of the world to denote any male anime, manga, or video game character they happen to find
good looking. Strictly speaking, "bishounen" should only refer to boys under age 20, since a "pretty man" would be "biseinen." However, most people prefer to use bishounen for men and boys of all ages, as it is so widely used.
Opinions on which males are bishounen and which are not vary according to personal tastes. The
stereotypical bishounen generally has long hair, a slender, graceful figure, and lacks
facial hair. Bishounen tend to appear androgynous or feminine. They are also likely to have certain
personality traits, like sensitivity, secretiveness, moodiness, refinement, and a dark, tormented past.
This word is a noun, but is sometimes used as an adjective, as in the sentence "That guy is so bishounen." As an adjective, the word means "having or displaying the traits of a bishounen."