Useful Terminology

Anime - A general usage term for Japanese Animation. Most of the time "Anime" is the preferred term to use instead of "Japanimation".

Baka - Japanese word for "Idiot" or "Stupid", a real insult to one's honor. In Anime, "baka" is used in different situations, and can sometimes even be used in a comedic way.

Bishonen - A term given to young gorgeous men, usually in his teens. Some example series are Weiss Kreuz and Angel Sanctuary.

Bishoujo/Shoujo - A term given to young beautiful females.
Some example series are Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura.

Edo - A time period in Japan in which some Anime, such as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai Deeper Kyo, are based.

Ecchi - The Japanese sound for "H", refers to lighter version of hentai, i.e. - Hentai being "NC-17", Ecchi being "R". Ecchi may be considered indecent or lewd to some people. Ecchi can also be used to describe a person, usually of a perverse nature.

Eyecatch - Refers to scenes at the end, or halfway point of anime, like omake, can be comical or show a still shot of a series character or group.

Hai - The Japanese word for "Yes" or "okay".

Hentai - an abnormal sexual perversion. Also used to categorize Anime that has a NC-17 or X rating, "Adult Anime"

Kawaii - The Japanese term for "cute". Often used in Anime to describe cute animals or objects.

Manga - The Japanese word for comics. Manga are usually long book style publishings, ranging from 100-300 pages in length.

Mecha - Giant pilot controlled robots in Anime. Gundam Wing and Patlabor are two examples of mecha series.

Nani - Japanese word for "What" or "Excuse me". Also seen is the phrase "Nan Desu Ka?" which expresses confusion or "what is this?".

OAV or OVA - Original animation video (or Original Video Animation) Directly released to video before airing on TV or in theaters. OVA's are usually 2-4 episodes in length, whereas anime series range from 13-26 and even up to 200 episodes. An OVA might be a good addition to a series as well, and a lot of series released have their own OVA.

Omake - Additional or bonus footage found at the end of some anime, such as eye-catches, interviews, or just extra comedy clips.

Otaku - A term given to someone, with a almost unhealthy interest in something, mostly pertaining to japanese culture, whether it is Anime, Gaming or Tokusatsu (see below). Otaku usually place these hobbies in value above everything else.

Seiyuu - A Japanese voice actor or actress. A lot of Seiyuu are also popular singers in Japan. Masami Okuii and Megumi Hayashibara are examples of Seiyuu.

Shonen Ai - Love Storylined Anime. "Shonen" in Japanese means boy, so usually this type of anime addresses issues in boy/boy relationships.

Shoujo - Anime targeted at younger girls. "Shoujo" means young girl in Japanese. Some examples of Shoujo are Revolutionary Girl Utena and Real Bout High School.

Tokusatsu - refers to the live action/special effects film from Japan. This genre encompasses Sentai (i.e.-Power Rangers) and Kaiju (i.e.-Godzilla) as well.

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This list is courtesy of Anime @ Lakewood Public Library in Lakewood, Ohio.

For more on Japanese terminology, check out Wikipedia's anime entry.