Here are a list of definitions associated with the word YAOI:

shounen - boy, lad, youngster, juvenile

ai - love

shounen-ai - boy love, gay love

yaoi - abbreviation for yama-nashi ochi-nashi imi-nashi which can be roughly translated as "no climax, no resolution, no meaning". The characteristic feature of yaoi manga is male homosexual love, usually between characters from well-known stories. It is also known as "shounen-ai" (boy's love) or "shotacom" (regarded as the opposite of lolicom) The yaoi phenomenon in some ways parallels the growth of "slash" fanfictions in the west.

lime - material containing mild mature scenes, non-explicit, non-hentai

bishounen - pretty boy

doujinshi - self published or non-mainstream published mangas (material may be of original, self-owned characters or based on popular anime/manga series)

For in-depth YAOI explanation please proceed to the following links:

:: Aestheticism ::
:: Yaoi Muck ::