What is the true meaning of Oppai? Do you know the different ways to refer to the breasts of Japanese women? What are the measurements of breasts and bras in Japan? Do Japanese women really have small breasts? Why do anime characters have large breasts? This and other questions will be answered in this guide to Japanese breasts!
Remember that this is a complete and educational guide, a somewhat delicate subject but important for everyone, not just for perverted otakus and the curious. This article is useful for Brazilian women who need to buy clothes in Japan and curious people. The summary below will help you navigate this long article:
Have you ever wondered why Japanese women do not shave their pubic hair? Click below to also read our article: Why Japanese women usually don’t shave.
The Meaning of Oppai
Anime fans or those who delve into Japanese culture quickly become familiar with the word oppai [おっぱい], which means breasts in the Japanese language. What few know is that it is a slang or informal word.
The expression oppai [おっぱい] literally refers to breasts and mammary glands, while mune [胸] is used to refer to the chest, sometimes figuratively. On the other hand, oppai mainly refers to the physical part of round and voluminous breasts.
The word oppai can be used to refer to breasts in both plural and singular. This word can be used by both women and men when referring to women’s breasts.
Although it is an informal word, it is not strange to hear newspapers using the expression oppai to refer to breastfeeding or related topics. Women also tend to talk to each other using this expression.
We do not know if there are specific rules stating that this word is exclusive to refer to women’s breasts, but the word itself reminds one of the onomatopoeia of boing boing, referring to female breasts. And if we explore the origin, we will understand even more why I said this.
Origin of the Word Oppai
It is not known exactly how the expression oppai originated in the Japanese language. Some believe it came from the onomatopoeia paipai (ぱいぱい) that children use to refer to their mothers’ breasts. So we must remember that oppai can sound a bit childish, although it is not necessarily a word used by children.
There are other theories that the word originated from ooumai [おおうまい] or from ippai [いっぱい], which means full, but both seem a bit exaggerated. There are records of the word being used in the Edo Period, and it is listed as a childish word in the Meiji Era dictionary.
Remember the Oppai Shirt worn by Saitama from One Punch Man? How about buying one below?
Ways to Say Breasts in Japanese
What are the other words the Japanese use to refer to breasts, nipples, or breasts in Japanese? Let’s now look at some vocabulary to improve your nihongo studies. We also have an article about butts in Japanese.
What does Mune mean?
Mune [胸] – This word is used to refer to the breasts as a whole, both physically and symbolically, used to refer to the entire thoracic area such as lungs and stomach. The word mune is generally used in songs to talk about heartache and things like that.
Mune is like a second word for heart, since the original word for heart kokoro is too broad, as it can refer to the mind and spirit. Therefore, mune is a term widely used, probably more than oppai.
Other Ways to Say Breasts in Japanese
- ぱいぱい – paipai (childish);
- ブレスト – burusuto (breast);
- 母乳 – bonyuu (mother’s milk);
- ボイン – Boin;
- カップ – kappu (cup);
Other synonyms are:
- Chibusa [乳房] – breasts, mammary glands, udder;
- Kyoubu [胸部] – breasts, chest;
- Munaita [胸板] – breasts, chest;
- Chichi [乳] – milk, breasts;
- Muneniku [胸肉] – breast meat (usually chicken breast);
Vocabulary Related to Breasts in Japanese
Below are some useful words for women who want to measure sizes or buy accessories related to breasts like bras and others.
- Bra – ブラジャー (burajya);
- Chest – 胸 (mune);
- Breasts – おっぱい (oppai) similar to slang;
- Cup – カップ (kappu);
- Mamas, breasts – ぱいぱい (paipai) another kind of childish slang;
- Bust – バスト (basuto) from English bust;
- Neckline – 谷間 – tanima (also means valley, ravine, abyss);
Pettanko, Paizuri, Bakunyuu, Kyonyuuu
There are other Japanese words to refer to breasts. There is even a word to refer to the crisis of having small or large breasts. We have written some articles that will help you understand these factors, we recommend reading below:
Measurements and Sizes of Bras in Japan
The size of breasts is calculated from A to K, with A being the smallest size. Some countries have slight differences in measurement, such as in the USA where there is size AA, but the system is the same. It is worth noting that this measurement is proportional to body size.
The first thing we can do to determine breast size is to measure the entire bust with the breasts, then subtract the bust size measured below the breasts; the remaining value is the cup size (CUP). (top bust – under bust = cup).
| Size | Cup | Under Bust | Top Bust | Brazilian Size |
| A | 10.2cm | 63～67 | 77-87 | 38 |
| B | 12.0cm | 68～72 | 82-92 | 40 |
| C | 15.0cm | 73～77 | 87-97 | 42 |
| D | 17.5cm | 78～82 | 92-102 | 44 |
| E | 20.0cm | 83～87 | 97-107 | 46 |
| F | 22.5cm | 88～92 | 102-112 | 48 |
| G | 25.0cm | 93-97 | 109-111 | 50 |
| H | 27.5cm | 98-102 | 114-116 | 52 |
It is worth remembering that the cup measurements in Japan are different from those in Brazil. Brazilians usually measure from the bust to the back, thus giving a high value above 78, while the Japanese divide the two mentioned measurements to arrive at an exact breast size.
The image below shows how bust measurements are taken, and an image showing the size of Japanese busts, but with letters.
The larger the breast size, the larger the cup. However, it is not enough to know this to buy the bra size. The table below can help you choose the appropriate size for your bust:
| Under Bust | Top Bust | Bra Size |
| 63～67 | 77～79 | A65 |
| 63～67 | 79～81 | B65 |
| 63～67 | 81～83 | C65 |
| 63～67 | 83～85 | D65 |
| 63～67 | 85～87 | E65 |
| 68～72 | 82～84 | A70 |
| 68～72 | 84～86 | B70 |
| 68～72 | 86～88 | C70 |
| 68～72 | 88～90 | D70 |
| 68～72 | 90～92 | E70 |
| 73～77 | 87～89 | A75 |
| 73～77 | 89～91 | B75 |
| 73～77 | 91～93 | C75 |
| 73～77 | 93～95 | D75 |
| 73～77 | 95～97 | E75 |
| 78～82 | 92～94 | A80 |
| 78～82 | 94～96 | B80 |
| 78～82 | 96～98 | C80 |
| 78～82 | 98～100 | D80 |
| 78～82 | 100～102 | E80 |
| 83～87 | 97～99 | A85 |
| 83～87 | 99～101 | B85 |
| 83～87 | 101～103 | C85 |
| 83～87 | 103～105 | D85 |
| 83～87 | 105～107 | E85 |
| 88～92 | 102～104 | A90 |
| 88～92 | 104～106 | B90 |
| 88～92 | 106～108 | C90 |
| 88～92 | 108～110 | D90 |
| 88～92 | 110～112 | E90 |
Average Breast Size of Japanese Women
Have you ever wondered what the average breast size of Japanese women is? Are they smaller than the average in Brazil? Where are the smaller breasts? Below I will leave a small list with statistics:
Average breast size in Japan:
- 5.3% of Japanese women are size A or smaller;
- 20% of Japanese women are size B;
- 26.3% of Japanese women are size C;
- 24.1% of Japanese women are size D;
- 16.2% of Japanese women are size E;
- 6% of Japanese women are size F or larger;
Average breast size in Brazil:
- 30% of the Brazilian population is size A and B;
- 33% is size C;
- 19% is size D;
- 16% are sizes E, F, and G;
Where is the majority of these Japanese women concentrated? Below we will leave a list of where most of these Japanese women are found according to size. Let’s see the average size of each province.
- Size E – Kyoto and Gifu;
- Size D – Miyagi, Fukushima, Niigata, Yamanashi, Fukui, Nara, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima;
- Size C – Ibaraki, Tokyo, Toyama, Ishikawa, Aichi, Shiga, Mie, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Kagawa, Ehime, Tokushima, Fukuoka, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa;
- Size B – Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Tochigi, Gunma, Chiba, Kanagawa, Nagano, Shizuoka, Hyogo, Yamaguchi, Kochi, Oita, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto;
- Size A – Saitama;
How did we arrive at these results? – This research is conducted based on the quantity of sales of bras, lingerie, and other women’s products.
Do Japanese Women Really Have Small Breasts?
We just saw the average breast size of Japanese women; did you come to any conclusion? Do Japanese women really have small breasts? In fact, Japanese women’s breasts are not as small as people think.
In the surveys, we saw that only 5% of Japanese women are small-sized [A]. The big problem is that this measurement is proportional to body size; Japanese women are slim and small by nature, which decreases breast size.
Some surveys reveal that in the last 20 years, there has been a surprising increase in breast size compared to 1980, where more than 50% of Japanese women were size A.
Another survey conducted with 400,000 women shows that neither Brazil ranked among the 15 countries with the largest breasts, nor Japan among the 15 countries with the smallest breasts. In fact, Brazil has an average of 30% of Brazilian women with size A and B.
It may even seem that Japanese women are ahead of Brazil in this average reported here. However, this average is proportional to body size; we calculate the average cup size by subtracting the upper bust from the lower bust.
Thus, even if 30% of the Brazilian population is classified with small breasts, due to their body size, the breasts can reach up to 20cm. Not to mention that surveys like this are never 100% accurate, as it is impossible to conduct such surveys with the entire population.
Why Do Anime Characters Have Large Breasts?
I believe the reason Japanese women have large breasts in anime is quite obvious, to attract the male audience. But if the Japanese beauty standard is slim women, why do anime characters have big breasts? Or why do Japanese characters in anime have big eyes and colored hair?
These are unanswered questions; they are anime clichés. When anime shows big breasts, panties, and attractive positions, this is called fanservice. The goal of a mangaka when creating their work is to attract all kinds of people; for this reason, you find sizes for all tastes.
The fact that Japanese women have excessively large breasts may be a hit with men in Japan, but in real life, there may be prejudice from other Japanese women. We have seen this portrayed in some anime.
Oppai Meaning in Korean – Breasts in Korean
Some search on Google for oppai in Korean, but they are probably confusing it with the honorific treatment and slang oppa. Generally used by women to refer to an older man.
Koreans recognize the Japanese slang oppai, which can be written [단어]. If you want to refer to breasts in Korean, we can use [유방] [가슴] [댕이] [방댕이] [궁디], but unfortunately, I am not an expert in the Korean language to explain each of these words. One tip is to search them on Google Images to see how Koreans interpret the meaning.
I hope you enjoyed the article; if you did, don’t forget to share it with friends and leave your comments. Thank you very much, and I hope you continue reading other articles.
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