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"Nyandere" (JP) is a term for a nekomimi character who expresses their deredere for their love interest by getting intimate with them in the same way a cat does. They will be highly clingy towards their love interest and express their desire to be loved in the same way a cat does when it wants to be pet by its owner, such as by batting their paws to get their love interest's attention, rubbing their head against them and purring, or asking them to pet their head. They will also add "meow" to their sentences to make themselves sound cuter to their love interest.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Nyandere (ニャンデレ) is a combination of "nyan" (ニャン), an onomatopoeia for "the sound a cat makes" or in other words "meow", and "deredere" (デレデレ), a mimetic word for "being lovestruck (overly affectionate, lovey-dovey, not hiding one's romantic feelings)".
Alternate Spelling
A Cat-Like Girlfriend by Chazu
It is also sometimes alternatively written as "にゃんデレ" using hiragana for "nyan" instead but this is less common.
Origin
The exact origin is currently unclear, but the term has been used in the title of several doujinshi fan manga series dating back to at least 2010, including Nyandere Imasu (JP) and Tsundere and Nyandere's Equation (JP).[1][3][4]
The first known use in an official media was the 2023 manga series A Cat-Like Girlfriend (JP) by Chazu which was described as "a cute romantic comedy about a nyandere cat girl".[2]
Characteristics
Nyandere characters in official media are always nekomimi, or someone who is part cat and part human. They have cat ears and a cat tail while otherwise looking like a normal human.
Characters who aren't part cat but dress up in cat cosplay and mimick the behavior of a nekomimi can also count as a type of nyandere. Some characters who are like this may choose to dress up as a nekomimi when they are being affectionate with their love interest to spice things up. It is also fairly common for characters who aren't actual nekomimi to be temporarily depicted as one as a visual gag during scenes where they mimic a cat, such as when their love interest pats their head, even if this isn't happening in the actual story.
Personality
Vanilla and Chocola having their heads pat from Nekopara
Nyandere characters act deredere (lovestruck) in a cat-like way. They are highly affectionate and show their affection towards their love interest by getting intimate with them in the same way a cat would with its master. They are quite clingy to their love interest and will constantly try to get affection from them. They will rub against them in a way similar to a cat and also greatly enjoy when their love interest pets their head or rubs behind their ears. They may even start purring as a sign of their love. They can often be found crawling into their love interest's bed and sleeping on their love interest.
They will express their desire to be loved in the same way a cat would when it wants to be pet. They will constantly try to get the affection of their love interest and will often bat their paws at them when they want to get their attention. When they are expressing love, they might say "meow~/nyaa~" to show their loving feelings. They will also often add "meow~/nyaa~" to their regular sentences as well to make themselves sound cuter to their love interest.
Similar Archetypes
- Juujin: A term for a hybrid humanoid animal character.
- Kemono: A term for an animal character that has human traits.
- Kemonomimi: A term for a human character with animal ears. The most common of which is cat ears.
- Tsunneko: A term for a tsundere character who is a nekomimi and shows their affection in a cat-like way. They are dishonest with their feelings of love and will act standoffish and try to distance themselves from their love interest at first to hide their embarrassment, but when they are being affectionate they will do it in a cat-like way like a nyandere. This could be seen as a combination of nyandere and tsundere.
- Wandere: A term for a character who expresses their affection for their love interest by acting like a dog towards them.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Koneko Toujou from High School D×D  Cyan Hijirikawa from SHOW BY ROCK!!  Blair from Soul Eater  Ao Nanami from Yozakura Quartet  Tsumiki Miniwa with Io Otonashi from Acchi Kocchi  Protagonist from Nekokaburi na Kanojo |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nyandere Imasu. Suruga-ya (2010/05/02).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 A Cat-Like Girlfriend. BookLive (2023/12/10).
- ↑ Nyandere Imasu. Otaku Republic (2010/10/10).
- ↑ Tsundere and Nyandere's Equation. Suruga-ya (2010/12/30).