The –dere suffix is derived from deredere (デレデレ), an onomatopoeia which describes fawning over someone or being lovestruck. The term tsundere, which refers to someone who initially acts coldly toward their love interest, but warms up over time, is a common trope used in many romance anime. But tsundere is not the only way to describe a character. Depending on one’s personality, a matching prefix is attached to each dere type. To help you flex a wider dere vocab, we’ve prepared a list of 20 different types of dere you need to know.
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(Left to right) Taiga Aisaka and Louise de La Vallière.
Image adapted from: NIS America and Sentai via YouTube
When it comes to dere types, tsundere is no doubt the most well-known. Tsun stems from tsuntsun (ツンツン), which means “aloofness”. Just like what the root word hints at, a tsundere often treats their loved ones coldly and tries to deny their obvious affection.
These signs of affection will most likely materialise as acts of service, such as gifting you a scarf you’ve been eyeing the past few days. A telltale sign that someone is a tsundere is when the person in question gives a poor excuse – such as them coincidentally having an extra item lying around at home – instead of admitting that they bought it specifically for you.
You’d probably recall Louise de La Vallière from The Familiar of Zero, if not, Taiga Aisaka from Toradora! as the OG tsundere from the anime series we’ve watched growing up.
Image credit: Lilly-Que via DeviantArt
Similar to tsundere, hajidere, where haji (恥) means “embarrassment” or “shame”, tends to obviously act out of character when around their loved ones. You can easily catch them blushing when they are in close proximity to their crush.
One example is Hinata Hyūga from Naruto, whose face goes as red as a tomato whenever she speaks with Naruto face to face. She was also frequently spotted watching Naruto from afar in their younger days.
Image adapted from: Production I.G
Dandere fear being judged by others, so they are naturally extremely shy around unfamiliar people. This reserved nature of theirs is reflected in dan in danmari (黙り), which means to keep quiet.
Dandere usually thrive in one-to-one conversations with their loved ones, who make them feel comfortable enough to speak up. Sawako Kuronuma from From Me to You is one of the many dandere examples in romance anime.
Image credit: IMDb
Unlike dandere who have difficulty talking to strangers, kuudere are simply asocial types who choose not to engage in conversations. The kuu is derived from kuuru (クール), which means “cool”, and reflects their default cool-headed personality. It’s often hard to read their minds, due to how apt they are at not letting their emotions show.
That said, regardless of how emotionless these individuals appear to be, they secretly care for their loved ones. An example of a kuudere is Kanade Tachibana from Angel Beats!
Image credit: MyAnimeList
Shundere can be identified by the melancholic expression they have on 24/7, as shun (しゅん) is an onomatopoeia for someone who seems depressed. Contrary to what you’d expect, their gloominess is not a result of any tragic backstory. Sadness is just a part of their identity, and they find it hard to flash a genuine smile.
Shundere also aren’t exactly fond of interacting with other people, though they make exceptions for their loved ones. One example is Tomoko Kuroki from No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!.
Image credit: IMDb
Under the misconception that they’re the best, Hinedere often feel misunderstood and at odds with the world. Hine comes from the word “hineru” (ひねる), which means “twist”.
While often cynical and highly arrogant, hinedere do have a soft side that they show to their treasured loved ones. An example of a hinedere is Yuu Otosaka from Charlotte.
Image adapted from: KADOKAWAanime via YouTube
Darudere is similar to hinedere in that they often build a wall around themselves. However, darudere have a smaller ego and care less about their image than hinedere.
A darudere’s nonchalance can be explained by daru in darui (ダルい), which means “bothersome”. You’re likely to spot darudere lazing around, avoiding getting involved in others’ business as much as possible.
However, they will accede to their loved one’s requests, albeit while complaining. One example is Kiyotaka Ayanokōji from Classroom of the Elite.
Image credit: MyAnimeList
Oujō (王女) means “princess”, and oujōdere refer to people who are kind and mature, like true princesses straight out of fairy tales. Oujōdere also find joy in helping their loved ones and are humble. An example is Elizabeth Liones from The Seven Deadly Sins.
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Akin to a younger version of oujōdere, himedere act like spoiled princesses. Hime (姫) means daughter of a noble, including, but not limited to, princesses. Himedere see themselves as having higher social status than those around them, even if others don’t necessarily share the same sentiments.
You can often catch himedere ordering their friends or sidekicks to run errands on their behalf. Similarly, they’d expect their lovers to pamper them a fair bit. One example is Erina Nakiri from Food Wars!.
Image credit: IMDb
Uso (うそ) means lie, and that’s what usodere do to attract their loved ones. You can catch a usodere lying to cover up any of their flaws, presenting only the perfect version of themselves to their crush. One example is Kaguya Shinomiya from Kaguya-sama: Love is War.
Image credit: IMDb
Equally shrouded in lies is undere. However, unlike usodere who are the ones lying, undere prefer to be lied to.
Un (うん) comes from the sound you make when agreeing to something, and an undere says yes to any request their loved ones make. Even if the red flags are right in their faces, they’d always side with their loved ones, as if they were spellbound.
Hence, undere can expect their people-pleasing nature to be exploited by those with unkind intentions. They need to pick their love interests wisely or they’d be dragged into toxic relationships. One prominent example of an undere is Misa Amane from Death Note.
Image credit: MyAnimeList
Deredere are friendly and regarded as the easygoing “best friend” type. Due to their outgoing nature, deredere rarely get jealous, and are just a ball of sunshine who bring joy to others with their infectious cheerfulness.
Eru Chitanda from Hyōka is one of the deredere you can find in anime.
Image credit: MyAnimeList
On the other end of the energy spectrum is byōkidere, who rarely exhibit high energy levels. Byōki (病気) stands for “illness”, which is telling of a byōkidere’s health – they are typically stricken with a chronic illness and don’t live long.
Nevertheless, byōkidere make the most out of their lives by caring for their loved ones for as long as they can. One example is Nagisa Furukawa from Clannad, who passed away after giving birth to her daughter.
Image credit: IMDb
Indicated in the “yan” from yanderu (病んでる), which means “to be sick”, yandere is a dere type with a medical condition – a mental one. A yandere is often possessive over their loved ones and will resort to any means to keep potential love rivals away. That includes violence or even murder.
A yandere you’d probably be familiar with is Yuno Gasai from Future Diary.
Image credit: IMDb
Another dark type of lover is dorodere. Doro is derived from dorodoro (ドロドロ), which means murky, implying unclear feelings. This unclarity manifests in you often being confused whether a dorodere loves you or not, because they themselves can’t determine their intentions and feelings too.
When it comes to interacting with their love interest, dorodere tend to display actions that are contradictory. They can go from expressing concern and acting sweet one second, to harbouring disturbing thoughts and laughing at your misery the next.
An example is Hanako-kun from Toilet-bound Hanako-kun.
Image credit: IMDb
Cat lovers, this one’s for you. Nyandere love cats to bits, to the extent of acting like one around their loved ones. An example is Ikuto Tsukiyomi from Shugo Chara!. The dog counterpart of nyandere would be inudere, where inu (犬) means “dog”.
Image credit: MyAnimeList
Clumsy and innocent as they are, bakadere are a dere type as lovable as nyandere and inudere. With baka (馬鹿) meaning “fool”, bakadere are known as huge klutzes who wear their heart on their sleeves.
So if you know someone who has a childlike demeanour and always seems to be living in their own bubble, they’re likely a bakadere. An example is Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon.
Image credit: lanahmd via DeviantArt
Also innocent in their own way is kekkondere. Kekkon (結婚) means marriage, and this type of dere refers to those who are impulsive when it comes to marriage decisions. Kekkondere often treat marriage flippantly, and bring up marriage proposals without much thought.
Once they start to catch feelings for someone, they’re likely to fantasise about their dream married life. One prime example is Boa Hancock from One Piece, who kept dreaming of marrying Luffy within a few days of falling in love with him.
Image credit: MyAnimeList
While the kekkondere is known to easily get drunk on love, yottadere are literally drunk all the time. That’s why the prefix yotta (酔った), which means to get drunk, is affixed to their dere type.
Yottadere are also commonly seen flirting in their intoxicated state. However, when they are around their loved ones, they get serious and cut down on both the drinking and flirting. One example is Rangiku Matsumoto from Bleach.
Image credit: IMDb
Mayadere is a type of dere who start off as antagonists, but switch alliances to side with their love interest after falling in love.
Maya comes from mayakashi (まやかし), which means “to deceive”. Though they start off as part of the opposing camp, a mayadere typically betrays their team and sides with the protagonist after falling in love with them.
An example is Juvia Lockser from Fairy Tail.
If you’re a romance anime or manga fan, you’ve definitely had one of those moments when you see an anime character and go “That’s so like me”. More often than not, these exclamations are indications that you have a similar love style as that character.
Among the 20 types of dere we’ve introduced, which are you?
For more anime tidbits, check out these Japanese speech habits that are commonly found in anime, these anime locations to travel to in Japan, or this Haikyuu!! town in real life. For anime series to watch, look out for these anime series that are coming to Netflix in 2023, or our list of must-watch anime films.
Cover image adapted from: NIS America via YouTube, IMDb, lanahmd via DeviantArt
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