ツンデレ
tsundere[t͡sɨ̃nde̞ɾe̞]
In Japanese, tsundere is ツンデレ (tsundere), a character who is cold or hostile at first and gradually shows a warm, caring side.
ツンデレ is the original Japanese term, widely used for characters in anime, manga and games and also jokingly about real people who act this way.
Meaning: character who fits the archetype of being cold or hostile before gradually showing a warm and caring side (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word joins two sound words. ツンツン (tsun tsun) describes a cold, aloof or prickly attitude and デレデレ (dere dere) describes being lovestruck, soft or acting sweet.
How does it change in a sentence?
To talk about a girl or boy with these traits, Japanese speakers add the words for girl or boy after it, as in ツンデレ女子 / 男子 (tsundere joshi/danshi).
How do you pronounce it?
Say tsundere with four even beats, the n counting as a beat of its own.
When do people say it?
The word is written in katakana, the script Japanese uses for sound words and slang terms like this one.
Did you know?
- While ツンデレ is now a global term, it evolved from 2channel, one of Japan's earliest and most influential anonymous internet forums.
- While tsundere describes a personality, the word tsuntsun used in its construction is also the onomatopoeia for someone poking something with a sharp object.
- The 'dere' suffix has become so productive that it created 'dere-species' like クーデレ ('kuudere'), for characters who are cool and cynical rather than prickly.
Examples in context
- あの子はツンデレだと思うよ。I think that girl is tsundere.
- あのキャラクターはツンデレですね。Ano kyarakutā wa tsundere desu ne.That character is a tsundere, isn't he?
- 彼女は典型的なツンデレです。Kanojo wa tenkeiteki na tsundere desu.She is a typical tsundere.
- ツンデレな性格は人気があります。Tsundere na seikaku wa ninki ga arimasu.Tsundere personalities are popular.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing an anime they just watched.
- 陽葵 Himariこの主人公、すごくツンデレだね。Kono shujinkō, sugoku tsundere da ne.This protagonist is such a tsundere.
- 陽太 Yota確かに、最初は冷たいよね。Tashika ni, saisho wa tsumetai yo ne.True, he is cold at first.
- 陽葵 Himariでも、最後はすごく優しいよ。Demo, saigo wa sugoku yasashii yo.But he is very kind in the end.
- 陽太 Yotaそこが魅力なんだろうね。Soko ga miryoku nan darō ne.I guess that is the charm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tsundere” translations and entries ツンデレ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
