English
Etymology
From Japanese ワイフ (waifu), from English wife. Doublet of wife.
Pronunciation
Noun
waifu (plural waifu or waifus)
- (fandom slang, Internet slang) A female fictional character from non-live-action visual media (typically an anime, manga, or video game) or non-fictional persona to whom one is romantically attracted and/or whom one considers one's wife.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:wife
- Coordinate term: husbando
2008 October 30, Galen, “Re: Japanese launch campaign to marry comic book characters”, in rec.arts.manga[1] (Usenet):So long as I get to claim my virtual waifu and our 30 virtual children as tax deductions, I don't really care if I can't touch her.
2009 December 31, Dave Watson, “Re: K-ON! 2nd season announced”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[2] (Usenet):Seriously, it was fun, but here's hoping that they lay off some of the bits that got old real quick, like Mio getting scared easily. I would not like to have someone that timid as "mai waifu" (as if I'd marry a bloody high school girl anyway). Makes me wonder what that says about the otaku who worship her.
2012, Dani Cavallaro, Kyoto Animation: A Critical Study and Filmography, McFarland & Company, published 2012, →ISBN, page 126:Bradley Meek's portrayal of Lucky☆Star's protagonist is particularly worthy of notice in assessing the anime's take on the art-play dyad: “Konata Izumi is a high school otaku hardcore enough to know trivia about seventies giant robot and tokusatsu shows,” the critic proposes, “but not hardcore enough to own a bodypillow of her waifu [a 2D significant other]. […]
2025 July 16, David Ingram, “Musk's Grok 'companions' include a flirty anime character and an anti-religion panda”, in NBC News[3]:“Literally no one asked us to launch waifus, but we did so anyway,” wrote Ebby Amir, whose X account has a label saying he’s an xAI employee.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:waifu.
Derived terms
Translations
fictional character to whom one is attracted to
- Arabic: وايفو f (wāyfu)
- Azerbaijani: vayfu
- Bengali: ওয়াইফু (bn) (ōẇaiphu)
- Bulgarian: вайфу f (vayfu)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 老婆 (zh) (lǎopo), 嫁 (jià)
- Finnish: waifu (fi)
- French: waifu (fr) f
- Italian: waifu f
- Japanese: 嫁 (ja) (よめ, yome)
- Persian: وایفو (vaifu)
- Portuguese: waifu (pt) f
- Romanian: waifu f
- Russian: ва́йфу (ru) f (vájfu)
- Spanish: waifu f
- Turkish: waifu
|
Finnish
Etymology
From English waifu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwɑi̯fu/, [ˈwɑ̝i̯fu]
- IPA(key): /ˈʋɑi̯fu/, [ˈʋɑ̝i̯fu]
- Rhymes: -ɑifu
- Syllabification(key): wai‧fu
- Hyphenation(key): wai‧fu
Noun
waifu
- (fandom slang) waifu
Declension
| Inflection of waifu (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
|
| nominative
|
waifu
|
waifut
|
| genitive
|
waifun
|
waifujen
|
| partitive
|
waifua
|
waifuja
|
| illative
|
waifuun
|
waifuihin
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifu
|
waifut
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifu
|
waifut
|
| gen.
|
waifun
|
| genitive
|
waifun
|
waifujen
|
| partitive
|
waifua
|
waifuja
|
| inessive
|
waifussa
|
waifuissa
|
| elative
|
waifusta
|
waifuista
|
| illative
|
waifuun
|
waifuihin
|
| adessive
|
waifulla
|
waifuilla
|
| ablative
|
waifulta
|
waifuilta
|
| allative
|
waifulle
|
waifuille
|
| essive
|
waifuna
|
waifuina
|
| translative
|
waifuksi
|
waifuiksi
|
| abessive
|
waifutta
|
waifuitta
|
| instructive
|
—
|
waifuin
|
| comitative
|
See the possessive forms below.
|
| first-person singular possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifuni
|
waifuni
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifuni
|
waifuni
|
| gen.
|
waifuni
|
| genitive
|
waifuni
|
waifujeni
|
| partitive
|
waifuani
|
waifujani
|
| inessive
|
waifussani
|
waifuissani
|
| elative
|
waifustani
|
waifuistani
|
| illative
|
waifuuni
|
waifuihini
|
| adessive
|
waifullani
|
waifuillani
|
| ablative
|
waifultani
|
waifuiltani
|
| allative
|
waifulleni
|
waifuilleni
|
| essive
|
waifunani
|
waifuinani
|
| translative
|
waifukseni
|
waifuikseni
|
| abessive
|
waifuttani
|
waifuittani
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
waifuineni
|
| second-person singular possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifusi
|
waifusi
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifusi
|
waifusi
|
| gen.
|
waifusi
|
| genitive
|
waifusi
|
waifujesi
|
| partitive
|
waifuasi
|
waifujasi
|
| inessive
|
waifussasi
|
waifuissasi
|
| elative
|
waifustasi
|
waifuistasi
|
| illative
|
waifuusi
|
waifuihisi
|
| adessive
|
waifullasi
|
waifuillasi
|
| ablative
|
waifultasi
|
waifuiltasi
|
| allative
|
waifullesi
|
waifuillesi
|
| essive
|
waifunasi
|
waifuinasi
|
| translative
|
waifuksesi
|
waifuiksesi
|
| abessive
|
waifuttasi
|
waifuittasi
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
waifuinesi
|
| first-person plural possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifumme
|
waifumme
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifumme
|
waifumme
|
| gen.
|
waifumme
|
| genitive
|
waifumme
|
waifujemme
|
| partitive
|
waifuamme
|
waifujamme
|
| inessive
|
waifussamme
|
waifuissamme
|
| elative
|
waifustamme
|
waifuistamme
|
| illative
|
waifuumme
|
waifuihimme
|
| adessive
|
waifullamme
|
waifuillamme
|
| ablative
|
waifultamme
|
waifuiltamme
|
| allative
|
waifullemme
|
waifuillemme
|
| essive
|
waifunamme
|
waifuinamme
|
| translative
|
waifuksemme
|
waifuiksemme
|
| abessive
|
waifuttamme
|
waifuittamme
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
waifuinemme
|
| second-person plural possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifunne
|
waifunne
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifunne
|
waifunne
|
| gen.
|
waifunne
|
| genitive
|
waifunne
|
waifujenne
|
| partitive
|
waifuanne
|
waifujanne
|
| inessive
|
waifussanne
|
waifuissanne
|
| elative
|
waifustanne
|
waifuistanne
|
| illative
|
waifuunne
|
waifuihinne
|
| adessive
|
waifullanne
|
waifuillanne
|
| ablative
|
waifultanne
|
waifuiltanne
|
| allative
|
waifullenne
|
waifuillenne
|
| essive
|
waifunanne
|
waifuinanne
|
| translative
|
waifuksenne
|
waifuiksenne
|
| abessive
|
waifuttanne
|
waifuittanne
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
waifuinenne
|
| third-person possessor
|
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
| nominative
|
waifunsa
|
waifunsa
|
| accusative
|
nom.
|
waifunsa
|
waifunsa
|
| gen.
|
waifunsa
|
| genitive
|
waifunsa
|
waifujensa
|
| partitive
|
waifuaan
waifuansa
|
waifujaan
waifujansa
|
| inessive
|
waifussaan
waifussansa
|
waifuissaan
waifuissansa
|
| elative
|
waifustaan
waifustansa
|
waifuistaan
waifuistansa
|
| illative
|
waifuunsa
|
waifuihinsa
|
| adessive
|
waifullaan
waifullansa
|
waifuillaan
waifuillansa
|
| ablative
|
waifultaan
waifultansa
|
waifuiltaan
waifuiltansa
|
| allative
|
waifulleen
waifullensa
|
waifuilleen
waifuillensa
|
| essive
|
waifunaan
waifunansa
|
waifuinaan
waifuinansa
|
| translative
|
waifukseen
waifuksensa
|
waifuikseen
waifuiksensa
|
| abessive
|
waifuttaan
waifuttansa
|
waifuittaan
waifuittansa
|
| instructive
|
—
|
—
|
| comitative
|
— |
waifuineen
waifuinensa
|
|
Japanese
Romanization
waifu
- Rōmaji transcription of ワイフ
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English waifu.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈwaj.fu/ [ˈwaɪ̯.fu]
Noun
waifu f (plural waifu or waifus)
- (fandom slang, Internet slang) waifu
- Coordinate term: husbando
Further reading
- “waifu”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
- “waifu” in Enciclopédia Significados (2011).
Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English waifu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwaifu/ [ˈwai̯.fu]
- Rhymes: -aifu
- Syllabification: wai‧fu
Noun
waifu f (plural waifus)
- (fandom slang, Internet slang) waifu
- Coordinate term: husbando