<p><em>himouto</em> is a blend of the words <em>imouto</em> (<a href="http://jisho.org/search/%E5%A6%B9">妹</a>: Little sister) and <em>himono</em> (<a href="http://jisho.org/search/%E5%B9%B2%E7%89%A9">干物</a>).</p>

<p><em>himono</em> literally translates to dried-fish, however the slang <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=himono-onna"><em>himono-onna</em></a> is used to describe girls who put on a different face for when they're out of the house.</p>

<p>The top <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=himono-onna">Urban Dictionary listing</a> defines it as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"himono-onna - girls in their twenties whom outside their home puts on a lively face, but as soon they get home, they change into their shirts and their hair are tied up like a samurai-style topknot, and they might even scratch their ass. snack in one hand, and canned beer in the other. on weekends they don’t go to blind dates, when they don’t have work they eat and sleep and eat and sleep and not a single guy around them." -- from Hotaru no Hikari (jdrama).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Apparently (as the UD listing says) the definition stems from the franchise <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotaru_no_Hikari_(manga)"><em>Hotaru no Hikari</em></a>.</p>

<p>As you can imagine, Hotaru no Hikari has a similar plot to Himouto Umaru Chan:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Hotaru works for a famous interior design company. It's a glamorous job but Hotaru's private life is totally the opposite of glamorous. She lives alone, and when she isn't working she's mostly lazing about her rented house in training wear. She's not interested in men. In fact, she isn't interested in anything. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hotaru_no_Hikari">from here</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-21T14:07:26.507Z
Is [that girl](http://myanimelist.net/character/138242) a himono-onna? (as seems it's a Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge spoiler, I linked her profile instead of saying her name)
Gustavo Rodrigues
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-21T14:08:11.250Z
yeah, I haven't seen that specific anime, so I wouldn't know, sorry @Gustavo
Quill
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-21T04:25:19.833Z
2016-07-21T04:25:19.833Z
Quill
<p>I'm guessing <em>himouto</em> (干物妹) is some kind of pun on <em>imouto</em> since Umaru lives with her brother. But what's the joke? Googling the term in either kanji or romaji just returns results about the series.</p>

<japanese-language><himouto-umaru-chan>
What's a himouto?
# What's a himouto?
Posted by: username_0 on 2016-07-21
I'm guessing *himouto* (干物妹) is some kind of pun on *imouto* since Umaru lives with her brother. But what's the joke? Googling the term in either kanji or romaji just returns results about the series.
**Tags:** japanese-language himouto-umaru-chan
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2016-07-21. Score: 17 | Accepted answer
*himouto* is a blend of the words *imouto* ([妹](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%A6%B9): Little sister) and *himono* ([干物](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%B9%B2%E7%89%A9)).

*himono* literally translates to dried-fish, however the slang [*himono-onna*](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=himono-onna) is used to describe girls who put on a different face for when they're out of the house.

The top [Urban Dictionary listing](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=himono-onna) defines it as:

> "himono-onna - girls in their twenties whom outside their home puts on a lively face, but as soon they get home, they change into their shirts and their hair are tied up like a samurai-style topknot, and they might even scratch their ass. snack in one hand, and canned beer in the other. on weekends they don’t go to blind dates, when they don’t have work they eat and sleep and eat and sleep and not a single guy around them." -- from Hotaru no Hikari (jdrama).

Apparently (as the UD listing says) the definition stems from the franchise [*Hotaru no Hikari*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotaru_no_Hikari_(manga)).

As you can imagine, Hotaru no Hikari has a similar plot to Himouto Umaru Chan:

> Hotaru works for a famous interior design company. It's a glamorous job but Hotaru's private life is totally the opposite of glamorous. She lives alone, and when she isn't working she's mostly lazing about her rented house in training wear. She's not interested in men. In fact, she isn't interested in anything. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto.

[from here](http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hotaru_no_Hikari)
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2016-07-21): Is [that girl](http://myanimelist.net/character/138242) a himono-onna? (as seems it's a Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge spoiler, I linked her profile instead of saying her name)  
> **username_1** (2016-07-21): yeah, I haven't seen that specific anime, so I wouldn't know, sorry @Gustavo  
---
