ahegao

English

An ahegao (sense 1)

Etymology

From Japanese アヘ顔(がお) (ahegao), from アヘアヘ (aheahe, “panting”) + 顔(かお) (kao, “face”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː.heɪ.ɡaʊ/, /əˈheɪ.ɡaʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪɡaʊ

Noun

ahegao (countable and uncountable, plural ahegao or ahegaos)

2. (Japanese fiction) An exaggerated facial expression consisting of flushed cheeks, rolled-back eyes, and the tongue hanging out, intended to depict a person having an orgasm.

   Hypernym: o-face

   • 2017, Takashi Kajii, My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 3, unnumbered page:

     "The ahegao you draw is the best ever, ■■-sensei!."

   • 2017, Carolina Lindström, The power of characterization […] ‎^[1], thesis submitted to Stockholm University, page 26:

     During the set of intercourse at the end of the story, Sherlock is also drawn featuring ahegao expressions, frequently used in hentai or pornographic works.

   • 2019 March 6, “Personals”, in The Medium, Rutgers University, page A6:

     Without anime I would never have been introduced to such thought provoking concepts as ahegao or 15 year old girls with boobs the size of basketballs.

   • 2019 July 11, Ej Dickson, “Is Belle Delphine, a.k.a. Bathwater Gamer Girl, the Greatest Troll On the Internet?”, in Rolling Stone‎^[2]:

     Princess Berpl, an adult performer and cosplay artist, says that many of Delphine’s self-branding tactics, such as using the ahegao face in videos or appealing to the gaming community, originated in the sex work community.

   • 2019 October 8, Madeleine Aggeler, “Who Is Belle Delphine, the Gamer Girl Selling Her Bathwater?”, in New York‎^[3]:

     In addition to standard cosplay and PG-13, NSFW pictures, she also became known for her ahegao — facial expressions meant to mimic the orgasms of hentai characters.

   • 2020, Kat Addams, Just Between Us‎^[4], →ISBN:

     I sauntered out of the bathroom and over to Joel, standing in front of him. I mentally counted to ten before he looked up to see the Ahegao^[sic] expression I'd practiced. I stuck my tongue out, rolling it to the side while crossing my eyes and moaning.

   • 2024, Rafael Frumkin, “Like and Subscribe”, in Bugsy & Other Stories, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 127:

     I knew she she didn't look at anything of mine online except my Instagram, which used to be 100 percent clothed ahegao with me wearing the pink wigs and the fake face tats and the kitten ears, but was getting a little more risky.

Japanese

Romanization

ahegao

1. Rōmaji transcription of あへがお
2. Rōmaji transcription of アヘがお