Yaoi (/ˈjaʊi/; Japanese: やおい, Japanese: [ja.o.i]), primarily known as Boys' Love (BL) (ボーイズ ラブ bōizu rabu?) in Japan, is a Japanese genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, typically marketed for a female audience and usually created by female authors. Manga specifically marketed for a gay male audience (bara) is considered a separate genre.
The main characters in yaoi usually conform to the formula of the seme (the "top", or dominant figure) who pursues the uke (the "bottom", or passive figure). Material classified as yaoi typically depicts gay relationships between male characters and may include homoerotic content. Although the yaoi genre is also called Boys' Love (commonly abbreviated as BL), the characters may be of any age above puberty, including adults. Works featuring prepubescent boys are labelled shotacon and seen as a distinct genre.