Herbivorous Men (草食系男子): Who They Are and Where the Word Came From
Herbivorous men (草食系男子) is what Japan calls men who don't show assertiveness in courtship, don't chase career status, and are indifferent to conspicuous consumption. The term was coined by columnist Fukasawa Maki in October 2006, and after two bestselling books in 2008, the word became commonplace and in 2009 entered the top 10 of the "Word of the Year" award.
The word quickly became surrounded by rumors: whether it's about vegetarians, or about those to blame for Japan's falling birth rate. In fact, it's simpler and more interesting. Let's break down what Fukasawa Maki herself meant when she coined the term, what "carnivorous women" have to do with it, and why the suffix 〜系 at the end of the word is a small but productive piece of Japanese word formation.
Who Is Called a Herbivorous Man
草食系男子 is made up of three parts: 草食 "herbivorous" (草 "grass" plus 食 "eat"), 系 "type, line" and 男子 "youth, young man" — together it means "herbivorous-type man." This is what men are called who don't show assertiveness in courtship, aren't obsessed with career status, and don't strive for conspicuous consumption. The term was coined by Fukasawa Maki in October 2006 in a column for Nikkei Business Online. By her definition, it's not about a lack of interest in relationships, but about a gentle, unobtrusive manner in them.
Why "Herbivorous" Isn't About Diet
The metaphor is taken from the animal world: a herbivore doesn't hunt, while a carnivore pursues prey. It has nothing to do with food — the comparison describes a manner of courtship and life, not a diet. That's exactly why the word immediately got a contrasting counterpart — "carnivorous women" (肉食系女子), assertive and active in relationships.
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 草食系男子 | sōshokukei danshi · sōshokukei danshi | Herbivorous men |
| 肉食系女子 | nikushokukei joshi · nikushokukei joshi | "Carnivorous women" — the contrasting counterpart |
| 草食系 | sōshokukei · sōshokukei | "Herbivorous type" — also used without the word "man" |
| 肉食系 | nikushokukei · nikushokukei | "Carnivorous type" — assertive in relationships and career |
| 恋愛 | ren'ai · ren'ai | Romantic relationships, courtship |
The Character 食: "Eat" in Both Herbivores and Carnivores
食 — значение: eat, consume, food, meal, live, feed (figuratively) — онъёми: ショク、ジキ — кунъёми: く.う、く.らう、た.べる、は.む — 9 штрих(ов). 食 — "eat, food": 草食 "herbivorous" literally "eat grass," and 肉食 "carnivorous" — "eat meat." It's also in 食べる (taberu) "to eat" and 食事 (shokuji) "meal, dining."
The Suffix 〜系: "Type" for Anything
系 literally means "line, system," and in colloquial speech it works as the suffix "type, in the spirit of." Dozens of words are built on it: 癒し系 (iyashikei) — "healing type," about gentle, relaxing people and characters; ビジュアル系 (visual-kei) — a musical and fashion style with striking makeup and costumes. 草食系男子 follows the same model: not a diagnosis, but a conventional type with recognizable traits.
Write 食 along the guides — the character for "food" that got these men called "herbivorous."
What People Wrongly Attribute to Herbivorous Men
- "Herbivorous men are recluses like hikikomori." No: hikikomori withdraw from social life and hardly leave home, while a herbivorous man works, has friends, and socializes. He differs in manner — he doesn't push in courtship and doesn't chase status.
- "The term was an insult from the start." Fukasawa Maki herself called the "herbivorous man" a word that praises young people rather than demeans them. By her later account, the negative connotation was added by women's magazines, the media, and advertising agencies — the latter explained away with "herbivorous" the fact that cars stopped selling.
- "Herbivorous men are causing Japan's birth rate to fall." The country's birth rate had been declining long before 2006. The rate of 1.57 children per woman, recorded back in 1989 and announced in 1990 as the "1.57 shock," was already a cause for national alarm — 16 years before the term itself appeared.
FAQ
- What does the expression "herbivorous men" mean?
- In Japan, this is what men are called who lack assertiveness in courtship, don't chase career status, and have no interest in conspicuous consumption — a gentle, unobtrusive personality type, not a diagnosis and not an insult in its original meaning.
- How is "herbivorous men" written in Japanese?
- 草食系男子 (sōshokukei danshi): 草食 "herbivorous," 系 "type," and 男子 "youth, man." More briefly, people just say 草食系. And in the very first column in 2006, it was 草食男子 — without 系: the form with the suffix appeared in the title of philosopher Morioka Masahiro's 2008 book.
- Who coined the term "herbivorous men"?
- Columnist and editor Fukasawa Maki — in October 2006, in the column "U35男子マーケティング図鑑" on Nikkei Business Online. The word gained fame from 2008 books — by philosopher Morioka Masahiro and marketer Ushikubo Megumi — and in 2009 it entered the top 10 of the "Word of the Year" award.
- Is it true that "herbivorous men" is about vegetarians?
- No. A herbivorous man can eat meat every day: 草食 here is a metaphor from the animal world, where a herbivore doesn't hunt and a predator pursues prey. The comparison describes a manner of courtship and behavior, not what's on the plate.
- Is the term "herbivorous men" an insult?
- It depends on who's speaking. A young man might smilingly call himself 草食系, but in the mouth of an older generation, the word sounds like a reproach for being listless and unenterprising. The author of the term intended it as praise and complains that the word came to be understood the opposite way.
- What are Japanese women with the opposite personality type called?
- 肉食系女子 (nikushokukei joshi) — "carnivorous women": assertive and active in both relationships and career, as opposed to the gentle, unobtrusive manner of herbivorous men. The word appeared as a natural counterpart to 草食系男子 and follows the same word-formation model with the suffix 系.
Sources
Updated: 2026-09-13