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A combination of the Japanese words tsuntsun (aloof/standoffish) and deredere (in love/lovestruck), tsundere refers to a character that is initially unfriendly to the main character, but becomes romantically attracted to them over time. It also can mean a character that is outwardly mean to the main character while harboring a secret crush on them. So, tsundere can be both a process (from disliking someone to being in love with them) and a personality type (being mean to - yet still liking - someone). Tsunderes are almost always female, although there are male tsunderes that appear in shojo (manga/anime for girls).
One of the most classic tsunderes is Naru Narusegawa* from Love Hina. Naru can’t help but lose her temper at main character Keitaro’s klutziness and stupidity, but as Keitaro gets more responsible and mature, she begins to fall in love with him - even though she has a hard time admitting it to herself. Sakura from Naruto is also sort of a tsundere; she thinks Naruto is a total loser, but as Naruto gets more skillful, she starts to respect him. Two more tsunderes you may have seen are Nagi from Hayate the Combat Butler (she crushes hard on Hayate, yet puts him through rigourous tasks when he makes her angry), and Miss Chidore from Full Metal Panic (who clearly likes the clueless tough guy Sousuke, but can’t help getting angry at his tendency to solve simple problems through firepower).
The tsundere is a popular character type in Japan, so keep an eye open for her in the shows you watch, mangas you read, and video games you play!
* In Japanese, Naru means “to become” and Narusegawa means “raging river”, so her name is a joke about her bad temper…..
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