Yaoi ( / ˈ j aʊ i/ YOW-ee Japanese: やおい ), also known as boys' love ( ボーイズ ラブ, bōizu rabu) and its abbreviation BL ( ビーエル, bīeru), is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. The svelte, semi- androgynous physical features of the characters are typical of bishōnen (literally 'beautiful boys') common in yaoi media.
