VTuber Fan Vocabulary Explained: Oshi, Gachikoi, Teetee, Hashtags and 3D Lives

October 29, 2026 6 Min Read

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Last reviewed: October 29, 2026

Japanese VTuber streams are full of words that never appear in a language course: your favorite is your oshi, a clip channel is a kirinuki channel, and a certain kind of fan is called gachikoi. This guide explains the vocabulary and customs you will meet most often in chat, on social media and on official pages, and shows where each one fits in the fan experience. It is a reading aid for overseas viewers, not a rulebook: fandoms differ by agency, and some terms below come from community-maintained glossaries, which we flag as we go.

Quick glossary

Oshi (推し): the talent you support above others. The word began in idol fandom and spread to anime characters, streamers and VTubers; it is gender-neutral and does not by itself imply romantic interest. Related: oshi-katsu, the broad habit of showing devotion, from attending events and carrying pen lights to making fan goods or decorating bags with badges.
Kami-oshi and hako-oshi: a kami-oshi is your top favorite; a hako-oshi supports a whole group or agency rather than one person (per the community VTuber glossary).
DD (daredemo daisuki): a fan who enjoys many VTubers across groups. Depending on tone it is neutral or a mild jab at “disloyal” fans.
Gachikoi (ガチ恋): a fan who is seriously, romantically attached to a VTuber, idol or character. Journalists note that the feeling itself is not considered bad, but possessiveness or harassing other fans is. Treat it as a descriptive label, never as something to aim at a talent.
Teetee (てぇてぇ): an affectionate “precious” word for wholesome moments, usually between two or more VTubers. Glossaries romanize it as “teetee”; you may also see spellings such as “tete” or “tetete” in chat.
Kusa (草): “lol”, from the habit of typing “www” for laughter. Otsu: a casual “thanks for your work” greeting that comes from Niconico culture.
Kirinuki (切り抜き): clips cut from stream archives. Whether clipping is allowed depends on each agency, so check the official guidelines before posting your own (see our fan creation guidelines overview).
Zatsudan (雑談): a chat stream, roughly the Twitch “Just Chatting” category. Utawaku (歌枠): a singing or karaoke stream. Gerilla (ゲリラ): an unscheduled stream with little notice.
Mengen (メン限): content limited to paying channel members.

Oshi marks, fan names and hashtags

Fans usually show who they support with an oshi mark: an emoji or short emoji combination tied to the talent, added to a social media display name. Fans of several talents often separate marks with a vertical bar. According to the fan-run Fanlore wiki, the custom started in February 2018 when VTuber Yuuki Chihiro polled her viewers and announced a two-emoji mark.

Talents also publish an official fan name and a set of hashtags. The official hololive profile of Tokino Sora is a good example: her fan name is Sora-tomo, she lists separate stream hashtags (#ときのそら生放送 and #ときのそら実況するってよ), and a fan art tag (#そらArt). Using the correct tag matters, because talents and fans search those tags to find reactions and art. For a longer walkthrough, see our guide to reading a hololive talent profile.

Supporting during a stream: Super Chat and memberships

Two YouTube features shape live chat culture. A Super Chat is a paid message that appears as a brightly colored pinned comment, and YouTube encourages creators to read or highlight these supports on screen. Channel members get access to perks, and a creator can run a members-only live stream that only members at the chosen level or above can watch; non-members see the title but not the video. That is where the term mengen comes from. Our Super Chat vs. memberships guide covers the differences in detail.

Debut anniversaries and birthdays

Two dates matter to most fans: the debut day (when the talent first streamed or was officially introduced) and the birthday. Agencies often turn both into events with special streams, voice content or goods. Official examples:

hololive production marks its own anniversary on September 7. Its official notice says the 9th anniversary in 2026 began a countdown to the 10th on September 7, 2027, alongside a new logo, gradual visual updates for talents and a new streaming app called hololive raku. Tokino Sora’s official profile lists the same date, September 7, 2017, as her debut stream, and May 15 as her birthday.
NIJISANJI’s official store announced in April 2026 a partial renewal of its birthday goods and voice lineup, effective in May. Sets include a foil-stamped can badge with an Instax-style card, an acrylic block set, a larger celebration set, and a birthday voice with a phone wallpaper. New items are released in order starting with talents whose birthdays fall on or after May 2, 2026.
Birthday and debut-anniversary goods are generally sold for a limited time, so overseas fans should check the sales window and shipping page early. See our NIJISANJI goods and voice pack walkthrough.

Related streaming formats you may hear about on those days include gyakutotsu and totsumachi, where a talent calls guests or guests call in, usually for a celebration, and endurance streams that chase a subscriber milestone.

3D lives and concerts

A “3D live” is a performance in which the talent appears as a full-body 3D model, usually driven by motion capture. They range from free YouTube specials to ticketed concerts. In August 2024 hololive Indonesia held a 3D live stream called Gebyar hololive Indonesia on its YouTube channel, starting at 20:00 WIB (22:00 JST), with the talents in new costumes.

Large concerts use ticketing for both the venue and the stream. For hololive’s 7th fes. (March 6-8, 2026, Makuhari Messe), venue tickets were sold on Lawson Ticket and ZAIKO, while livestream tickets were sold on SPWN and Streaming+, with archive viewing available until April 8, 2026, 11:59 PM JST, after which it ended even for unfinished viewing. For the Hakos Baelz 1st Concert “REGALIA” on December 1, 2026 (stream starts 6:00 PM JST, concert 6:30 PM JST), the official page lists a 6,800 yen stream ticket plus a 220 yen fee through SPWN and Streaming+, an archive available until January 8, 2027, and separate SPWN and merchandise shop pages for overseas viewers. Details can change, so always check the event page. Our overseas concert guide and JST time zone guide help with conversions.

Etiquette basics for overseas fans

Use the official hashtag and fan name; avoid inventing new ones for someone else’s talent.
Do not guess or discuss a talent’s real identity or past life; glossaries describe this as a major taboo.
Do not clip or repost streams without checking the agency’s guidelines.
Keep romantic fandom (gachikoi) to private feelings and avoid pressuring talents or other fans.

FAQ

Is “tetete” the same as “teetee”? Yes in practice: the sources we checked spell it “teetee”, and fans use several romanizations for the same Japanese word.

Do I need Japanese to take part? No. Many fans learn the words above gradually, and official pages often have English versions.

Is a gachikoi fan a bad fan? Not by definition; the concern is behavior that becomes possessive or harassing.

What we could not verify

We did not find an official source defining the term “wa-ku”, so we left it out. Community glossaries are volunteer-maintained and may differ from agency usage.

Related guides

Sources

Reviewed by WVR Inoue on October 29, 2026. See our editorial standards.

Thumbnail: 《hololive 7th fes. Ridin' on Dreams》PV by hololive ホロライブ - VTuber Group on YouTube. Shown via YouTube; all rights belong to their owners.