Uke

Uke (受け, lit. "bottom", as derived from the ichidan verb "to receive") is a term originating in martial arts, later being used in the Samurai Warriors fandom to describe the submissive or "pursued" half in a male-male relationship (seme being the dominant or "pursuing" half). The term spread panfandom and is now used to describe this characterization regardless of fandom. The seme is typically the one who actively initiates the relationship, from subtle wooing to rape. It is used regardless of rating and a fanwork's sexual content.
In Japanese pairing names, the uke is always listed second, after the seme, which is considered a golden rule. on PixivEncyclopedia, circa. 10 January 2025 Many shippers have a preference for which character is the uke or the seme and may dislike the other order for the pairing, often referring to it as a "landmine" which should be avoided. Doujinshi are rarely labelled under both orders for this reason. Characters that are rarely semes may be called extreme rights (極右, lit. "extreme right") since they're always listed "right" in a pairing name. on paradisearmy, circa. 10 Janaury 2024 Fans of the less-popular order may consider it a rarepair.
The term uke is also used for NL female-male relationships, though it's expected that the male character is the seme unless the female character is a futanari or he's a child while she's an adult, so the term is used much more often in yaoi as a necessary descriptor. on PixivEncyclopedia, circa. 10 January 2025 The same can be said for yumejoshi works. Seme and uke may be used to describe female-female yuri relationships as well. It is used infrequently in yuri since pairing order is far less of an issue for yuri relationships. Neko may be used as a synonym of uke, a term originating in Japanese gay culture; synonymous with bottom.
==Description==
Initially in a stereotyped and heteronormative way, the passive male characters in a slash couple, called then by the name uke were characterized as more feminine, short in stature, slim figure and angelic face, often androgynous in appearance and with hobbies and mannerisms seen as typically female. They are usually younger than their romantic counterparts – semes – with silky hair, large eyes and prominent eyelashes. Sometimes he is portrayed as someone very charismatic, romantic and who always smiles.
Ukes are often the favorite out of the two characters with fans. This is especially the case in NL fanworks, where the seme is usually seen as an "accessory" or "catalyst" rather than a fleshed out character in the fanwork. There's often discussion around the characterization of semes, which vary greatly, and how they can improve to focus more on them. Like with slash, there's the sense that character dynamics explores fantasies.
==Terminology==
===Uke Variants===
These terms may be used in Boys' Love media as a way to advertise the relationship dynamic focused on.
*襲い受け lit. osoi uke
**means the uke is often physically aggressive and demanding. May refer literally to receivers who push down their attacking partner to the point of falling down. These receivers may resort to rape to get what they want.
*男前受け lit. otokomae uke
**means the uke acts very masculine
*乙女受け lit. otome uke
**means the uke is feminine and like a maiden
*オヤジ受け lit. oyaji uke
** means the uke is old enough to be considered an oyaji, meaning father, and more commonly, father-esque
*俺様受け lit. oresama uke
**means the uke is self-centered and arrogant. Ukes in this category may be confused for joou-sama uke
*筋肉受け lit. kin'niku uke
**means the uke is muscular and macho. Possibly this is for yaoi that play out similarly to baras. Related is the similar マッチョ受け lit. macho uke.
*クール受け lit. kuuru uke
**means the uke is kuudere or sunao kūru
*健気受け lit. kenage uke
**means the uke admires the seme no matter what they do
*小悪魔受け lit. koakuma uke
**means the uke has an impish personality and likes to mess with the seme's head
* 誘い受け lit. sasoi uke
** means the uke "invites" or otherwise temps the seme to have a physical relationship with them. AKA, this uke is flirtatious. May later evolve into osoi uke
*女王様受け lit. joou-sama uke
** means the uke is overbearing and very prideful, queen-ish, though unlike hime uke, they are likely not treated as such by others
*ショタ受け lit. shota uke
**means the uke can be considered a shota
*初老受け lit. shorou uke
**means the uke is a middle-aged or otherwise elderly man
*総攻め lit. sou uke
**Sou-uke is used to describe either multiship works in which a single character is depicted as the uke to numerous other characters, or to indicate that someone is a multishipper with a single character as the focal "receiving point". The term is variously translated as "total uke" or "buttslut". The opposite of this is 総攻め lit. sou seme, meaning semes who top no matter who they are paired with.
*年上受け lit. toshiue uke
**means the uke is older than their partner. The partner in a relationship like this is 年下攻め lit. toshishita seme, meaning seme who is younger than their partner
*ビッチ受け lit. bitch uke
**means the uke likes to sleep around. Unlike in English, the word bitch has no connotations with being rude in Japanese
*姫受け lit. hime uke
**means the uke is like a princess who needs a lot of care and attention
*不細工受 lit. busaiku uke
**means the uke is ugly and otherwise not conventionally attractive.
*平凡受け lit. heibon uke
**means the uke is not conventionally attractive and just your average person
*モブ受け lit. mob uke
**when the mob character is the uke.
*わんこ受け lit. wanko uke
**means the uke has a dog-like personality.
=== Uke Alternatives ===
In modern Japanese fandom, several other terms have arisen to replace "uke", although the term is still in use. Migi, or "right", is sometimes used to refer to the bottom partner, while hidari ("left") is used to refer to the top, with these terms deriving from the order of the ship name. More rarely, the term "neko" (slang for a bottom among the LGBT community) may be used to describe the bottom.
==Fan Comments==
==Further Reading==
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==References==
Category:Yaoi Fandom
Category:Anime & Manga Fandom Glossary
Category:Character Archetypes
Category:Sexual Tropes & Kinks