Dere Types Explained: Every Dere Meaning, From Tsundere and Yandere to Kamidere

Meet each dere type in a Story now

Each of these Stories has a love interest who is a textbook case. Open one, choose Enter, type the name you want to be called and write your first line; your first 20 turns need no sign-up.

• Tsundere: Song Ihyeon in First Place Won't Bleed. You're the lazy number-one Hunter, she's ranked second and furious about it, and she drags you off the sofa to train while pretending she doesn't admire you.
• Yandere: Ivern in Mine From the Beginning. Raised to have you by his side since the day you were both born, he has just announced his engagement to someone else and calmly tells you nothing between you will change.
• Kuudere: Duncan Crestwell in His Inner Thoughts Are Too Loud. Your stone-faced editor-in-chief says two words out loud, and you can read minds, so you also hear the gushing monologue about you in his head.
• Dandere: Renagi in The Delivery You Want. He has delivered your packages for months without saying a word about his crush, and today his brother has pushed him into trying.
• Deredere: Jin Badeun in The Chairman Who Asks You to Marry. Cold and commanding to the whole company, soft and pouty the second it's just you, and openly waiting for you to say yes.

What does dere mean?

Dere comes from deredere (デレデレ), a Japanese word for being lovestruck, all smiles and a little embarrassing about it. Fans build dere types by joining the first part of another word to dere: tsuntsun (aloof) gives tsundere, yanderu (sick) gives yandere, kūru (cool) gives kuudere. Each name answers one question: how does this character act when they're in love?

A dere type is a character archetype. Four or five of them are in everyday fan vocabulary; dozens more are fan coinages of varying popularity. This guide covers the main five, the well-known extras (kamidere, himedere, oujidere) and a handful of rarer ones.

Dere types at a glance

The lines in the table are short examples we wrote to show each type's voice.

The five main dere types

Tsundere meaning

A tsundere acts cold, prickly or dismissive toward someone they secretly like, then softens over time. The insults are a shield: they deny caring while every action says otherwise, they bring you lunch and call it leftovers, and they're furious when you notice. The fun is closing the gap between what they say and what they do.

Telltale lines: "Don't get the wrong idea." "I only helped because you were in the way." "Here. I made too many. Don't read into it."

Play one in the Tsundere collection. In First Place Won't Bleed, try a sincere compliment on Ihyeon's training and see how she takes it.

Yandere meaning

A yandere loves with an intensity that turns possessive: sweet and devoted on the surface, jealous and controlling underneath. They want to know where you are, they resent anyone who takes your attention, and they're certain you belong together. It's the trope of devotion turned up past comfortable.

Telltale lines: "I already know your schedule. I just wanted to hear you say it." "You don't need anyone else, do you?"

Play one in the Yandere collection. In a Teasa Story your character is never a passive target: you decide how much of that intensity you indulge, when you push back and when you walk away.

Kuudere meaning

A kuudere stays calm, composed and emotionally reserved, and shows affection through small, deliberate actions rather than words. Where a tsundere snaps and denies, a kuudere simply says very little, so the romance lives in the tells: a detail remembered, a seat saved, a voice that drops half a tone.

Telltale lines: "...You're late. I saved you a seat." "I noticed. That's all."

Play one in the Kuudere collection. His Inner Thoughts Are Too Loud is a kuudere with the subtitles on: you hear everything Duncan won't say.

Dandere meaning

A dandere is shy and quiet around most people and opens up, warm and talkative, once they feel safe with one person. The silence comes from nerves, not coldness, so a dandere doesn't need cracking; they need room. Each patient reply makes the next thing they say a little longer.

Telltale lines: "I-I wasn't staring." "Could I... sit with you? Only if that's okay."

Play one in the Dandere collection. The Barista Who Only Smiles is another: brusque with every customer except you.

Deredere meaning

A deredere is openly, cheerfully affectionate from the first scene. No games, no denial: they adore you, they say so, and everyone can tell. It's the original dere, the word every other type is built from.

Telltale lines: "I missed you! It's been, like, six hours." "Tell me everything about your day."

Teasa gathers these love interests in the Doting collection, where your character gets to decide how to take being put first.

Kamidere, himedere and the rarer dere types

Kamidere meaning

A kamidere has a god complex. Kami (神) means god, and the kamidere acts like one: proud, commanding and certain they're superior to everyone around them, often with the talent or power to back it up. The twist is that this arrogant figure has a tender side that only their love interest ever sees. Kamidere is a fan coinage rather than an everyday Japanese word.

Telltale lines: "Kneel? No. You may hold my hand. Consider it an honor." "I'm never wrong. ...Except, apparently, about you."

Meet a kamidere-style love interest in Engaged to the Wanton Prince, where a Crown Prince who believes love is beneath him mocks you at court and leaves a rose at your door every night. The Royalty & Nobility and CEO & Billionaire collections are full of people who think they rule the world.

Himedere meaning

A himedere wants to be treated like a princess. Hime (姫) means princess, and a himedere expects to be pampered, praised and waited on, whether or not she has a crown, and falls for the person who plays along or who finally calls her bluff. The male counterpart is the oujidere (ōji, prince), who expects royal treatment and turns it all on the one person he loves.

Telltale lines: "You may carry my parasol." "Who said you could stop complimenting me?"

You can also play one yourself. In The Villainess's Easy Life you wake up as Vivienne, the doomed villainess of a romance-fantasy novel, and decide how haughty to be. More in the Villainess collection.

Bakadere, undere and sadodere

• Bakadere (baka, fool): clumsy, forgetful and sweet. They trip over their own feet and their own words, and the affection is never in doubt.
• Undere (un, a casual "yeah"): agrees with everything the person they like says, often a little too eagerly.
• Sadodere (sado, sadist): enjoys teasing and flustering the person they like, sometimes sharply, and shows a softer side only in private. In romance it reads as the rival who needles you because you're the only one who matters.

Which dere are you? Take the dere type quiz

The dere type quiz asks five quick questions about the love interest you can't resist, from how they'd react to your bad day to the line that makes your heart skip, and tells you whether you're drawn to a tsundere, kuudere, dandere, yandere or deredere. It's free, needs no account, and your answers stay in your browser tab. Each result links to its collection so you can play a Story with your type straight away.

How to roleplay with each dere type

A dere type is a promise about how a character will react, which makes it a great engine for AI roleplay: you know what kind of push and pull you're signing up for, and your replies decide the pace.

Teasa Stories open with the scene already set and a cast that answers in their own voice, so the dere type shows up from the first reply. Type dialogue as plain text and actions between asterisks, like *hands over the umbrella without a word*. The AI chat roleplay guide covers first lines and the difference between Story roleplay and one-on-one DMs, and the romance roleplay prompts give you ten ready-made scenes.

FAQ

What does dere mean?

Dere (デレ) is Japanese slang from deredere, meaning lovestruck or all smiles around someone. In anime and manga fandom it's joined to another word to name how a character acts in love: tsundere, yandere, kuudere, dandere and so on.

What are all the dere types?

The five main dere types are tsundere (cold outside, caring inside), yandere (possessively devoted), kuudere (calm and reserved), dandere (shy and quiet) and deredere (openly affectionate). Well-known extras include kamidere (god complex), himedere (wants princess treatment), oujidere (wants prince treatment), bakadere (clumsy and sweet), undere (agrees with everything) and sadodere (teasing). Fans have coined dozens more.

What is the most popular dere type?

Tsundere is the most popular and best-known dere type, with yandere close behind. Both are staples of anime romance and have large collections of Stories on Teasa.

What does kamidere mean?

Kamidere joins kami (神), god, with dere. A kamidere has a god complex: proud, commanding and sure they're superior to everyone, with a tender side only their love interest sees.

What's the difference between kamidere and tsundere?

A tsundere hides affection behind denial and prickliness, and gets flustered when caught caring. A kamidere hides it behind superiority: they don't deny anything, they simply act above it all, and their softness shows as rare, deliberate favor toward one person.

What's the difference between himedere and ojousama?

Ojousama (お嬢様) describes a wealthy, refined young lady, an archetype about status and upbringing, often with formal speech and a haughty laugh. Himedere describes how a character acts in love: she wants to be treated like a princess. An ojousama can be a himedere, but a himedere doesn't need to be rich or royal.

Is yandere toxic?

As a real-life relationship pattern, yes: jealousy, tracking where someone goes and cutting them off from friends are controlling behaviors, not love. As fiction, yandere is a trope people enjoy for its intensity, the way readers enjoy a dark love interest in a novel. In a Teasa Story you decide how your character responds, from pushing back to walking away.

Is there a dere test to find my type?

Yes. Teasa's free dere type quiz asks five questions about the love interest you're drawn to and tells you whether that's a tsundere, kuudere, dandere, yandere or deredere, with Stories to play for your result. It needs no account.

Where can I roleplay with a tsundere or yandere?

On Teasa, free in your browser. Open the Tsundere, Yandere, Kuudere, Dandere or Doting collection, pick a Story and play your first 20 turns with no sign-up; a free account keeps the story going.

Sources

• Wiktionary entries for tsundere, yandere, kuudere, dandere, deredere and himedere (ヒメデレ), read 16 October 2026.
• Lingopie, Dere types in Japanese anime, updated 6 August 2026, for the roots of himedere, oujidere and bakadere.