In martial arts the uke is the receiver or blocker of a technique, often of a blow.
In Boys Love and yaoi fan terminology the uke, usually translated as "bottom", is the character pursued by another character type called a seme. The seme-uke relationship convention in such stories is one of a relatively passive character, the uke, chased by the active seme. This reflects traditional gender stereotypes and in sex acts determines who is the insertee and who is the inserter. In fan terminology the term is also subdivided into specific types such as sasoi uke (seductive uke), etc. This term is not used in actual gay relationships, the equivalent term there is neko.
