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Each day only comes once! I should seize the day!
"Genkikko" (JP) is a term for a young character who is full of energy and is very cheerful. They are almost always in a very lively, happy mood and tend to be very enthusiastic.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Genkikko comes from the word "genki" (元気) which can mean any of the following: "energetic", "lively", "spirited", "vigorous", "happy", "cheerful", "good mood", and "healthy".[2][3][4] The "ko" (娘) part of the word means "daughter" or "young girl".[5]
It is commonly translated into English as "cheerful girl" or "energetic girl".
Alternate Spelling
It is sometimes alternatively written as "元気っ子" using the gender-neutral term "ko" (子), meaning "child" instead of "daughter" (娘) to allow for its use on male characters, though this is not common in Japanese media which only uses the feminine spelling.[6]
Localization
It is sometimes unofficially referred to as simply "genki girl" in the Western community.[7]
History
The earliest known uses of the term in media come from the doujinshi manga series Genkikko (JP) in 1998.[8]
The term has also been used officially to describe many cheerful female characters, such as Misao Kusakabe from the 2003 manga series Lucky Star (JP) and Hibiki Ganaha from THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls (JP) video game series in 2011.[9][1]
Personality
Genkikko are characters who are full of life and are very cheerful. They will almost always have a lively, happy mood and try to live life to the fullest.[10]
They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm that they showcase in almost everything they do. They have an outgoing personality and love making others feel just as happy as they are. All of their actions and words are filled with spirit making them the most optimistic members of the group.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Idol: A term for a character that is a popular performer that many people look up to and idolize. While they are performing they are full of enthusiasm and cheer.
- Uzadere: A term for a character who is very loud and likes annoying their love interest. They tend to be full of endless energy.
List of Characters
See Genkikko/Japanese Characters to see characters from Japanese media.
See Genkikko/Non-Japanese Characters to see characters from non-Japanese media.
Gallery
See Genkikko/Gallery to enter the full gallery.
 Otome Arisugawa from Aikatsu!  Tenma Saki and Kagamine Rin from Project Sekai: Colorful Stage!  Minori Kushieda from Toradora!  Misao Kusakabe from Lucky☆Star  Hibiki Ganaha from THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls  Chika Takami from Love Live! Sunshine!! |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Okinawa Genkikko. Cinderella Girls Card Gallery (2011/11/24).
- ↑ What is Genki. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ What Does Genki Mean?. Ikigai Tribe (2022/06/06).
- ↑ The Real Meaning of "Genki" in Japanese. Alex Rock In Japanese.
- ↑ What is Genkikko. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2021/11/26).
- ↑ What is Genkikko (2). Pixiv Encyclopedia (2021/11/26).
- ↑ Top 10 Anime Genki Girl Characters. CBR (2022/02/04).
- ↑ Genkikko. Surugaya (1998/05/10).
- ↑ Genkikko Misao. Hobby Station.
- ↑ "Genki Girls" in Anime. J-List (2019/03/28).