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"Burikko" (JP) is a term for a female character who acts overly cute by feigning ignorance and helplessness in front of men by making a deliberate appeal to their femininity. They will play up their cuteness by pretending to be dumb, helpless, or klutzy when they're actually really smart just to make others fall in love with them, give them attention, do things for them, or otherwise gain an advantage of some kind.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Burikko comes from the word "buri" (ぶり) which means "pretending". It is said to come from a shortening of the phrase "pretending to be a cute girl" (JP) and refers to a female who pretends to be cute by acting dumb or helpless. It is mainly used in terms of romance, but can also refer in a more general sense for female characters who pretend to be overly cute for other reasons.[1][2]
Origin
The term was coined by manga artist Hisashi Eguchi in May 1978 for his gag manga series Sesume!! Pirates (JP) to describe the assistant character Nishiaki Gurin.[3]
History
The term has been used in several manga series, such as Ore no Flag wa Yoridorimidere where it was officially used to describe the character Erina Nanami.[4]
Personality
This type of character will pretend to be stupid, helpless or a klutz when they're actually really smart, just to attract attention from guys or make it seem like they constantly need help from them. They will play up their femininity and cuteness to make men feel the need to spoil and do things for them.[5]
It is a type of calculated self-promotion, strategic characterization, with the aim of making yourself look better in front of others or attracting the other person's attention. Because it refers to deliberate directing, it does not include people who are not calculating and are naturally cute or clutzy. The act of showing off in front of others is something that all humans do, but when the act of pretending to be "cute" seems extremely calculated to the observer and develops into an unnatural area, it is called burikko.[6]
Common traits include:
- Speaking in a cutesy voice.
- Pretending to be dumb or ignorant.
- Pretending that they can't do something when they can really do it.
- Pretending to cry to try to be comforted.
- Pretending to be dependent on a man.
They might do things like pretending they don't understand computers and then use their feminine charm to trick some smart guys into doing her school work for her, or even acting clutzy and dropping their books so a boy they like will pick it up for them. They may say things like "oh no I can't pick up this box I need a 'big strong man' to come help me", which can make guys want to do things for her so they can impress her, when in reality she was just pretending because she didn't want to do it herself.
They may even just act like this all the time because they feel it will make their love interest think they are extra cute even though they're more than capable of doing these things for themselves. They may act this way so it seems like they are dependent on their love interest in order to get their love interest to be amae for them.
Others may act this way to get out of trouble, such as pretending to just be a clumsy good girl if they accidentally knocked something off so the other guy will not be hard on her.
Differences From Other Archetypes
The archetype is similar to usodere, characters who hide something about themselves to win the affection of their love interest, but the biggest difference is that burikko don't necessarily hide something to win others affection and could pretend for any number of reasons. They also don't have to come clean and be a purely loving and honest deredere character like an usodere does. Additionally, an usodere doesn't have to make themselves look dumb they just hide something they think will hurt their chances.
Similar Archetypes
- Azatoi: A term for a character who behaves in a way that is seen as insincere or calculated to get attention or gain an advantage. It can also refer to someone who acts overly cute in a way perceived as manipulative so burikko can be seen as a type of azatoi character.
- Dojikko: A term for a character who is very clumsy in a cute way. Some burikko will pretend to be this type of character.
- Usodere: A term for a character who hides something about themselves to win the affection of their love interest, but eventually comes honest and has a pure love.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Sailor Iron Mouse from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  Sailor Iron Mouse from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  Biscuit Krueger from HUNTER×HUNTER (2011)  Yamaguchi Kumiko from Gokusen |
References
- ↑ What is Burikko. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ Burikko. Japanese Slang Dictionary.
- ↑ Burikko. Wikipedia JP.
- ↑ Ore no Flag wa Yoridorimidere. CMOA (2014/04/18).
- ↑ Burikko. JP Dictionary (2024/08/21).
- ↑ What is Burikko. Nico Nico Pedia (2012/01/06).