chibi

Borrowed from Japanese ちび (chibi, “something small; runt, dwarf; pipsqueak”)

chibi (countable and uncountable, plural chibis)

1. (countable, anime, manga) A child-like character with exaggerated features, particularly in anime.
2. (uncountable, anime, manga) A style of cartooning in which the characters are drawn to be very small and cute.
   • 2013, Christopher Hart, Manga for the Beginner

     Since the eyes take up so much room on the chibi face, the head needs to be stretched and, therefore, usually ends up being oval-shaped to accommodate the oval-shaped eyes.

• superdeformed

chibi

1. Rōmaji transcription of ちび