"Deredere" (JP) is a term for an overly affectionate character who is lovestruck and does not hide their romantic feelings towards their love interest. They experience intense feelings of romantic love for their love interest to the point that it is difficult for them to think of anything else except the person they love. They will be very openly loving towards their love interest the entire time and show their love in a very overly affectionate and doting kind of way. They will be endearingly clingy towards their love interest in public and always want to be lovey-dovey with them, not caring if other people see the two of them being affectionate with each other because they are not embarrassed by their feelings, and they will be even more intimate when they're alone together. They will give lots of affection and attention to their love interest to please them and receive their love. They desire lots of close contact and affection and will behave in cute ways to make their love interest want to pamper them with love.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
A demonstration of a man being "deredere" with a woman.
The word "deredere" (デレデレ) is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the "spoiled (amae) appearance due to romantic feelings in front of the person you are attracted to". It is used to describe the act of "fawning on your love interest (giving lots of affection and attention towards them to receive their love)", "doting on your love interest (extremely and uncritically fond of someone and tends to spoil them terribly), "desiring lots of close contact and affection", or most commonly as simply "being lovestruck (experiencing intense feelings of romantic love for someone to the point that it is difficult to behave as usual or even think of anything else except the person you love)". The word is used when you say or do something that you don't show to others in front of your lover (恋人) or crush. If someone is described as being "deredere" for someone it means they are visually showing their romantic attraction to them and desire for affection in a cute and doting kind of way.[3][4]
The behavior of someone who is being deredere has been described in official media as: rabu-rabu (ラブラブ), meaning "head-over-heels in love (being completely enamored with another person where you can't get them out of your mind)", kawaii (かわいい) meaning "acting cute, adorable, and loveable (having qualities that attract affection)", ama-ama (甘々), meaning "excessively sweet, affectionate, and heartwarming behavior in a romantic relationship (the tender and loving feelings between two people, such as sharing a warm hug, holding hands, or exchanging sweet words)", and icha-icha (イチャイチャ), meaning "lovey-dovey (how a couple intimately fools around; amorously affectionate behavior between two people in romantic interactions, such as kissing a lot, holding each other tightly, touching each other, or looking at each other lovingly for a long time)".[1][5][6]
Since this is the only "dere type" that doesn't have any additional prefix with the base "deredere" word, it means that they are the perfect definition of being "lovestruck" and do not have another side that they hide their feelings behind.[7][8]
Origin
The origin of the term "deredere" can be traced as far back as 1889, from the Rakugo theater play Sumida's Familiarity (JP) by San'yutei En'yuu III. This comes from the passage: "'I've fallen in love with you, but ah it's not possible?' he said, acting all deredere." (JP), where it was used to describe the behavior of a man confessing his love.[9]
The word "deredere" itself is an adverb that is derived from the verb "dereru", which dates back even further to 1867 from the Kabuki theater play, The Child of Good and Evil (JP).[10]
While the term "deredere" as a mimetic word has been around for a very long time in the Japanese language, the use of "deredere" as a character archetype derived from tsundere around 2008. The popularity of tsundere caused the meaning of deredere to shift from a simple adverb to a character archetype that described something akin to "a tsundere character without a tsun side". Whereas a tsundere character starts off being tsun and later becomes dere, a deredere character starts off being dere and later becomes dere, or, in other words, they are always dere. This term is used to describe someone who does not hide their liking towards someone, unlike a tsundere who hides their romantic lovestruck deredere feelings behind their tsuntsun side.[11][1]
Alternate Spelling
Although deredere is almost always written in Japanese with katakana as "デレデレ" it is occasionally written as デレでれ with the second "dere" written in hiragana.[2]
Alternate Name
The word "deredere" is often written as its verb form "dereru" (デレる) when used in the title of anime or manga series, and describes the act of "being" deredere (i.e., acting lovestruck).[12]
It is also very commonly referred to as simply "dere" (デレ).[13]
History
Official Media
The deredere archetype is very popular and has been used in many series. The earliest currently known usage in official media is the 2008 romance light novel "Affectionate Love" Complete Encyclopedia: A Collection of Deredere Girls!! (JP), a collection of romantic short stories about lovers who are very intimate and affectionate with each other, such as kissing a lot, holding each other tightly, or looking at each other lovingly for a long time.[1]
It was also used in the 2021 harem romance light novel series Only MOB characters can WIN! Is it true that one of you is going to become my deredere wife? (JP) about a guy who dreamt of living a happy marriage with a cute bride who would be very spoiled by him. The series follows his story with three girls who are bride candidates to see which one will become his wife.[14]
A popular series that used it was the 2023 romance manga series The Reason Why My Strict Female Boss Will Deredere to Me When I Go Back to High School: Redoing The High School Life of Two Unrequited Loves (JP) about two coworkers who unknowingly had unrequited love for each other in the past and got a chance to redo their high school life. This time around the female boss was determined to make her love interest fall for her by being very openly affectionate and loving towards him from the start.[15]
The 2023 romance light novel A Beautiful Scandinavian Girl Classmate Was So Deredere When She Became My Fiancée That She Became Extremely Sweet (JP) was about a cool Scandinavian girl who became so lovestruck after meeting her fiancée that she became very sweet and wanted to be very spoiled with affection by him.[5]
Characteristics
Traits of a person who is deredere include:[3][16][17][18][19][20]
Fawning Over Their Love Interest
Usagi Tsukino fawning over Tuxedo Mask from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
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Someone who is deredere will constantly be doing or saying things to make their love interest feel loved by them:
- Praising even the smallest things: Feeling tempted to treat with excessive generosity or consideration the person you're deredere for. Someone who is deredere will constantly be praising their love interest, including things like telling them they did an amazing job on something or that they look cute.
- Prioritizing their love interest over themself: A person who is deredere to the other person shows that they value the other person over themself by prioritizing the other person over themself, such as giving them the larger piece of a sliced cake or doing things they want to do. It can be said that people who do these kinds of things with an expression that makes their love interest happy are quite deredere.
- Bragging to their friends: People who are deredere do not hide their feelings for the person they like. Not only do they tell their love interest, but they also brag about them to their friends and family. They want to appeal to the feelings of their love interest regardless of what others think.
- Acting in ways that shows the love interest they love them: Frequent expressions of affection are also characteristic of people who are deredere. They will behave in ways where their love interest can feel that they are loved by them.
Wanting To Be Spoiled By Their Love Interest
Sui's Girlfriend wanting Sui to spoil her and give her lots of affection from Deredere Kanojo no "Gaman"
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People who are deredere act very cute, because their feeling of "I love you!" is expressed in the foreground. It's nice to be loved by the people you like, so they will also behave in ways that make their love interest be involuntarily deredere towards them:
- Honestly expressing their feelings: A person with a lot of emotion looks quite attractive, so they will honestly express what they are seeing and feeling. They will confide in their love interest which will cause them to want to be deredere towards them, such as being affectionate with them if they are feeling down.
- Being honest about wanting to be spoiled: Someone who is deredere will be honest about the things they want their love interest to do for them and want them to cutely indulge them. They will be honest about wanting their love interest to spoil them with affection, saying things like "I would be happy if you would _____. Isn't it okay?"
- Pampering their love interest: A person who is deredere will not only ask their love interest to spoil them but will also pamper them with affection as well. They feel it is important for both people's desire to be spoiled with affection to be met. This can cause the love interest to feel loved and accepted and cause them to want to do it back.
- Depending on their love interest: Someone who is deredere will rely on their love interest. If there is something they cannot do or need support with, they will rely on their love interest and then praise them for doing an amazing job to make them feel happy.
- Telling their love interest they're special: They will tell their love interest in words how they feel about them and verbalize their feelings. Even if it may feel embarrassing, they are people who will always tell them their true feelings, such as telling them how much they mean to them or how much they love them.
- Giving surprises: They will plan surprises or gifts because they want to see their love interest's happy face.
Amae
Rae Taylor being spoiled by Claire François from I'm in Love with the Villainess
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Deredere is closely associated with the concept of "amae" (甘え), which means "to depend on emotionally", "to want to be spoiled", or "to desire for close contact and affection". It is the state where a character wants their love interest to fawn on them and give them lots of affection. They will act super cute and want their love interest to pamper them with love and affection and to indulge in and take care of their needs. This could include things like leaning towards them and wanting them to cuddle, tilting their head down because they want their love interest to pat their head, opening their mouth to say "ahh" because they want their love interest to feed them, wanting to be comforted after a hard day of having to keep up a strong appearance, and so on. It is the feeling of exposing one's own sweetness and weakness and becoming dependent on another person. It is often used to describe people who seek physical or emotional comfort from others, especially when feeling vulnerable or insecure.[21][22] This is why deredere is described as the appearance of "being amae" towards a lover.[20]
This is also true for other dere types like tsundere or kuudere who may have insecurities and want their love interest to comfort them by cuddling with them or telling them they love them when they are in their deredere period. Another aspect to this is finally letting yourself be dependent on another person, which is often a huge struggle for someone like a kuudere. A kuudere will keep up their cold walls locking nearly everyone out from their vulnerable side, but will become even more amae than most once they finally let another person in and let down their strong walls.[23]
Personality
Love Traits
Miyako Shikimori looking at Yuuki Izumi from Miss Shikimori Is Not Just Cute
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Deredere differs from the other dere types in that it does not have another personality side that is used to conceal the warm and loving feelings. Deredere characters are deeply in love and their romantic feelings towards their love interest are completely out in the open and very apparent to anyone who sees them. This does not necessarily mean that a deredere character must outright confess the instant they develop these feelings (although they very often do), but it is very obvious when they love someone by the way they behave around their love interest and they are always honest about their feelings.
Deredere characters are unafraid to show their feelings of affection to their love interest. They are very loving and affectionate towards their love interest the entire time. They will become noticeably happy whenever they are around them and may even start blushing from how much they love them. In some cases during these moments, they may even be visually depicted as having heart eyes. At the same time, if things aren't going the way they want they may start to become sad because of it.
Their love interest will constantly be on their mind and they will always want to be around them. They will do their best to gain the attention of their love interest. They are someone who will be clingy towards their love interest in public and not care if people see them being lovey-dovey with each other because they are not embarrassed by their feelings.[24]
They may invite their love interest over to their house or try to spend as much alone time with them as possible. They will do different things to show their affection towards their love interest, such as complimenting them or verbally telling them that they love them. They'll often get physically close to their love interest and be romantic with them. When it comes to verbally confessing their love for them, they are either completely open about it the entire time or somewhat hesitant at first about sharing those feelings with them directly. If they're too embarrassed to say the words out loud they will show their love in other ways, such as giving them heart-shaped food on Valentine's Day, to try to make their love interest get the hint. If their love interest doesn't get the hint, they will slowly start getting more and more intimate with them and do things that make it very obvious they are more than just friends.
After confessing their feelings, they will constantly remind their love interest all the time just how much they love interest. They will also start doing even more intimate acts with their love interest. They are the type who will be very clingy to their lover and not hesitate to hug them, kiss them, start cuddling with them. They are characters who don't care where they go or what they do because as long as the two of them are together they will be happy and feel loved.[25]
Other Traits
Anna Yamada from The Dangers in My Heart
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People who are deredere are generally very easy to get along with. Because they are someone who knows how to communicate their feelings, they generally can get along with everyone. They are people who do not have two sides and can treat everyone equally. Maybe it's because they're honest with their emotions and don't have two sides that it's easy for them to be deredere.[3]
Derivatives
Aside from the standard deredere archetype, there is also a concept known colloquially as "dere types". When it comes to a character behaving deredere, it is a very common practice to add some sort of differing personality trait that conceals this more romantic and loving side of them. This involves creating a state that is at first apparently unfavorable or unromantic to a love interest, but then becomes deredere due to the passage of time or the occurrence of some situation. These dere types describe how different types of characters show their deredere side and how they react differently before/after falling in love and becoming lovestruck.[13]
Similar Archetypes
- Dere Types
- Deretsun: A term for character who is normally deredere but gradually adopts a more standoffish tsun attitude over time. This is a variation of deredere that occasionally acts more distant from their love interest, such as when they get flustered or jealous.
- Kekkondere: A term for a character who wants to get married to their love interest right away.
- Megadere (Western): A term for a character who has a strong adoration for their love interest and will not be afraid to give them large displays of affection and tell them how much they love them.
- Nipadere: A term for a character who is filled with contagious joy, happiness, and positivity, and always cheers on their love interest with a bright smile on their face.
- Nyandere: A term for a character who expresses their love for their love interest by getting intimate with them in the same way a cat does.
- Other Types
- Idol: A term for a character that is a popular performer that many people look up to and idolize. They often want to spread love to everyone watching them and may imitate the behavior of a deredere while on stage.
- Moe: A term for characters who are the embodiment of being "cute" and give off feelings of strong affection.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Saint Cecila from Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence  Anna Yamada from The Dangers in My Heart  Marika Tachibana from Nisekoi  Himari Kino from Whisper Me a Love Song  Tsukasa Yuzaki from Tonikaku Kawaii  Rae Taylor with Claire François from I'm in Love with the Villainess |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Affectionate Love" Complete Encyclopedia: A Collection of Deredere Girls. Amazon (2008/12/11). “The latest volume in the series of encyclopedias that classify and study beautiful girl characters by their attributes, including the "Tsundere" Encyclopedia, and the "Yandere" Encyclopedia. This time, instead of focusing on individual characters, we focus on a more advanced and new attribute, the friendly, lovey-dovey, and flirtatious relationships between characters!! The usual passionate writers talk all about the lovey-dovey characters in beautiful girl games, comics, light novels, and more.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dere Suku. Milk Pai (2010/08/27).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 What Kind of a State is "Deredere" in the First Place?. Oggi JP (2023/02/14). “The word "deredere" is used when you say or do something in front of your lover or someone you have a crush on that you would not show to other people. The word "deredere" is used to describe a person who becomes sloppy and restless in the presence of someone they are attracted to. It has been a long time since the term "tsundere" became popular, but "deredere" can be said to be a state in which this "dere" is pushed out to the full extent.”
- ↑ What is Deredere. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2023/09/24). “The state of being pampered (amae) by someone you love. The word deredere is used to express the "dere" part of tsundere and its derivatives.”
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 A Beautiful Scandinavian Girl Classmate Was So Deredere When She Became My Fiancée That She Became Extremely Sweet. Amazon (10/25/2023). “"I want Renjou-kun to be my fiance." Renjou Toru, who helped Aino Lutti, a beautiful Nordic girl rumored to be the cutest in school, at a bookstore, is asked to become her fiance. At first, it was a request to refuse an arranged marriage, but when Aino found out that the man in question was actually Toru, she suddenly began to be enthusiastic about the marriage...!? This is the story of two people who were supposed to be fiancee in name only, gradually coming to understand each other and becoming real lovers.”
- ↑ Shin Erodere: Gokujou go Houshi Maid Mahiru no Baai. Bookmeter (2013/11/17). “After that, her attitude changes completely, she becomes shy and starts acting all doting and cute towards Yusuke!? A love comedy that goes from "erotic" to "dere"!!”
- ↑ Trait: Deredere. Visual Novel Database (2011/03/31). “This character is a deredere, lovestruck from the begining of the story. Deredere characters are deeply in love with someone from the begining or early parts of the story and this is the centerpoint of all of their actions.”
- ↑ Trait: Deredere Heroine. Visual Novel Database (2009/03/01). “One of the heroines is deredere - she is utterly lovestruck with the protagonist essentially from the moment she meets him. Expect lots of blushing at even the most innocent remarks.”
- ↑ Deredere. Koto Bank (2024/05/18). “[First appearance] "'I've fallen in love with you, but ah it's not possible?' he said, acting all deredere." (Source: Rakugo, Sumida no Najime (1889) by San'yutei En'yuu III)”
- ↑ Dereru. Koto Bank (2024/05/18). “[First appearance] (Source: Kabuki play "Zen'aku Ryoumen-ji Tegashiwa (Dakine's Hyaku)" (1867), Act 2)”
- ↑ What is Deredere. Nico Nico Pedia (2009/05/17). “(Derived from tsundere) A moe attribute, a state of not hiding affection at all times. It is a word that describes a state of being untidy and sloppy due to deep love. From this, the expression "dereru" was expressed as the way tsundere expresses affection towards you, and from there "tsundere" was born, and from there the expression "○○dere" was born, which means that at first (usually) they are ○○, but later (when they are alone) they become dere. So if we apply "deredere" to this ○○dere, it means that at first (usually) they are dere, and later (when they are alone) they become dere. In other words, it is a word that means that the person is dere from the beginning (is always dere) and expresses affection from beginning to end.”
- ↑ Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san. Roshidere Official Site (2024/07/03).
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 What is Dere. Nico Nico Pedia (2008/05/22). “Dere refers to a deredere attitude in romantic relationships. This word is rarely used on its own, and a compound word in the form of ○○dere is made to refer to "at first (or usually), at least in appearance, a state of unfavorability or non-romanticism for some protagonist, but as time passes or some situation occurs, they become lovey-dovey". Usually, the initial ○○ state is over time, and the dere can be glimpsed for just a moment in the process of opening up, or in the usual ○○, which increases the value of the dere. That said, there are almost no people who are madly in love with someone from the start, and not many people who can honestly show their feelings of love in front of others. For that reason, there is another attribute called sunao ○○, which does not "become deredere" in the dictionary sense, but rather expresses its affection for the other person directly while maintaining a normal ○○ state.”
- ↑ Only MOB characters can WIN! Is it true that one of you is going to become my deredere wife?. Amazon (2021/05/25). “I had a dream about living a happy married life - I can't imagine it now, but my daily life with my lovely wife who is very beautiful, cute, a little naughty, but very pampering to me. But it wasn't just a dream, it was a prediction of the future!?”
- ↑ The Reason Why My Strict Female Boss Will Deredere to Me When I Go Back to High School. Square-Enix (2023/01/07). “Shimono, a dull office worker, is unable to look up to his beautiful boss, Touka Kamijo. One day, he time-leaps back to his high school days. "If I'm 27 years old now, maybe I can woo my boss!" Shimono sees this as his chance and approaches his boss, who was his senior in high school and whom he admires, but she is completely deredere with Shimono, like a different person! What on earth happened? The two unrequited lovebirds return to their high school days and get all lovey-dovey♥ A love comedy for adults that will redo your youth♡”
- ↑ What Does Deredere Mean? How Dere Are You With Your Boyfriend/Girlfriend & How to Act Dere Well!. SmartLog (2024/05/06). “"Deredere" originally has two main meanings. The first was "a sloppy attitude or behavior." The second is "being sloppy and restless in front of the opposite sex you are attracted to." The second meaning means "a man showing sloppy fawning to a woman", so it's most often used to describe a man's attitude towards a woman he finds attractive.”
- ↑ Characteristics of Deredere Women That Make Men Fall in Love. Modelpress (2020/12/28). “If you want to make men fall in love with you, you must learn the characteristics of women that make men deredere with you! Let's take a look at what kind of women make men deredere with you. Will you be on the road to popularity now?”
- ↑ What Does "Deredere" Mean? How Deredere is Your Boyfriend? Secret Techniques to Make Him Fall Madly in Love With You. Happy Mail (2022/04/28). “Some people say that men who are deredere with women are embarrassing, but it's still enviable that they are loved that much. There are probably many girls who would like to have their boyfriend be deredere with them at least once. In this article, we will show you how to diagnose how deredere your boyfriend is and introduce some secret techniques to make him fall head over heels in love with you. Learn the techniques and aim to be a girlfriend who is loved! "Deredere" is a mimetic that describes a state of being attracted to someone and becoming restless. A deredere man mainly refers to a man who becomes sloppy because he is attracted to a woman.”
- ↑ What's the Psychology Behind a Girlfriend Acting Deredere? The Honest Reasons of 100 Women. Famico (2024/07/02). “When you're together, it's easy to see that your girlfriend will act deredere. In this article, we introduce the psychology and reasons behind a deredere relationship, along with personal experiences, from 100 girlfriends. First, let's start by introducing the ranking of reasons why people are deredere towards their boyfriends. When 100 women were asked why they act deredere towards their boyfriends, the top answer was "Because I want to be spoiled" at about 31.5%, followed by "Because it makes me feel more loved" at about 24.7%, and "Because the gap is irresistible" at about 13%.”
- ↑ What is Amaeru. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2015/05/27). “To depend on the consideration, love, and gentleness of the other person and to be allowed to behave freely.”
- ↑ Exploring the True Meaning of Kawaii. Keio University (2022/11/28). “Amae, whose literal meaning is “sweetening,” is, according to Doi, an attitude of indulgent dependence which is indispensable in order to build up a mutual relationship in Japanese culture. Doi asserts that “Amae, in other words, is used to indicate the seeking after the mother that comes when the infant’s mind has developed to a certain degree and it has realized that its mother exists independently of itself. In other words, until it starts to amaeru the infant’s mental life is an extension, as it were, of its life in the womb, and the mother and child are still unseparated. However, as its mind develops it gradually realizes that itself and its mother are independent existences, and comes to feel the mother as something indispensable to itself; it is the craving for close contact thus developed that constitutes, one might say, amae.” Doi indeed admits that this phenomenon is not limited to Japanese culture, but he, focusing on the untranslatability of “amae,” argues its efficacy to understand “the ways of thinking of the Japanese.””
- ↑ What is Dere. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2021/09/29). “A state of letting one's guard down out of love.”
- ↑ List of Character Types and Classifications. Monogatari Movie (2021/06/29). “Deredere: Being clingy towards and all over the person you love without worrying about what others think.”
- ↑ What is a Girl's "◯◯dere"?. AppBank (2016/07/06). “Deredere, as the name suggests, is a girl who is "just deredere." There's not much to explain about this one. She's deredere. She's the type who is extremely clingy and spoiled with affection. She will suddenly hug you or kiss you on the cheek without hesitation. If you are a man, you would like to be cuddled by her at least once.”