shonen

noun

sho·​nen ˈshō-nən 

variants or less commonly shounen

: manga or anime intended primarily for boys

… generally, manga is gendered and falls into two broad categories—shonen and shojo. Shonen refers to manga for boys about 12-18 years old, and shojo refers to manga for young girls, with titles such as "Sailor Moon."

—Phil Wright

—usually used before another noun

Jujutsu Kaisen, the wildly popular shonen anime based on Gege Akutami's dark fantasy manga, will return with a second season set to premiere this July.

—Toussaint Egan

Even as an adaptation of the shounen manga, each episode of the series fits in with the overall story—there are no unnecessary or "filler" episodes.

—The Tech: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

compare shojo

Examples of shonen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Anime fans can identify the signs of a shonen show. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese shōnen "boy, youth" (in the phrase shōnen manga "manga for boys")

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shonen

• donnan
• saponin