Shōjo

The term shōjo, shojo, or shoujo manga (少女漫画, shōjo manga) refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 12-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 (shōjo), literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama, to boys' love, to science fiction — often with a strong focus on human and romantic relationships and emotions. Strictly speaking, shōjo manga does not comprise a style or a genre per se, but rather indicates a target demographic. Examples include Cardcaptor Sakura, Ouran High School Host Club, Fruits Basket, Fushigi Yuugi, Vampire Knight, Romeo x Juliet, Princess Ai, Pretty Cure, Skip Beat, and Tokyo Mew Mew.

Josei, which is traditionally targeted at an older, female audience is sometimes considered a sub-genre of shōjo.