Hentai (変態 or へんたい,
Hentai?) is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to
hentai sexually explicit or
hentai pornographic comics and
hentai animation, particularly
Japanese hentai anime,
hentai manga and
computer hentai games (see
Japanese pornography). In Japan it can be used to mean "metamorphosis" or "abnormality". The word
"hentai" has a negative connotation to the Japanese and is commonly used to mean
"sexually perverted".
In Japan, sexually explicit material is more often referred to as
"jū hachi kin" (18禁; prohibited for sale to persons under 18),
"seinen" (成年; adult, not to be confused with 青年 young adult), or with the prefix "ero-|エロ".
Hentai anime and
hentai manga allow elements of
sexual hentai fantasy to be represented in ways that would be impossible to film. This may include portrayals of sexual acts which are physically impossible, unacceptable in society, or run counter to social norms. Examples include extreme bondage, creatures with tentacles, and other
hentai fetishes. Shunga artists like Yoshitoshi and Kuniyoshi showed gang rape, erotic crucifixion, and even forced late third-trimester abortions by a "cannibal witch".