Verdict

The letters are the label, the number is the release order within that label. Learn a dozen prefixes and you can tell the studio, the general style and the era of a title from the code alone. To look one up, type the code into a search engine together with the word avdoko, or browse the English catalogue on this site.

PrefixStudio / labelTypical styleVisit
SSIS, SONE, SSNI, SNISS1 NO.1 STYLEBig-budget single-actress titles, exclusive contracts
IPX, IPZZ, IPZIdeaPocketGlamour-oriented single-actress titles
MIDV, MIDE, MIAA, MIABMOODYZBroad mainstream catalogue, many debuts
JUQ, JUL, JUYMadonnaMarried-woman and mature themes
START, STARSSOD starIdol-style casting, drama formats
ABW, ABF, ABPPrestigeDocumentary-feel, amateur-style series
DASS, DASDDas!Harder themes, situational drama
PPPE, PPPDOPPAIBusty-actress specialist label
WAAA, WANZWANZ FACTORYSituational, high-tempo titles
CAWD, CAWBkawaii*Younger-looking casting, debuts
FSDSSFALENONewer major label, exclusive actresses
HMNHon NakaCreampie-themed label
KAVR, SIVR, VRKM, DSVRVR labels (KMP, S1, SOD)VR titles, usually flagged VR in the genre list

Anatomy of a code

Take SSIS-001. SSIS is the label prefix (S1 NO.1 STYLE, 2020 series); 001 is the sequential number, so this was the first release under that prefix. When a label reaches a milestone or rebrands it starts a new prefix, which is why S1 has gone through SNIS, SSNI, SSIS and now SONE. The number resets to 001 each time.

The same actress can appear under many prefixes because she is contracted to a studio, not a code. That is why searching a name gives you a list of codes, and searching a code gives you exactly one title.

Work code versus DMM content ID

If you have ever seen an address like 1start00493 or h_1324skmj00776, that is DMM's internal content ID, not the work code. The mapping is mechanical: strip the leading digits or the h_1234 prefix, uppercase the letters, drop the zero padding and add a hyphen. So 1start00493 is START-493 and h_1324skmj00776 is SKMJ-776.

This database keeps both. Every title page shows the human-readable work code first, with the DMM content ID in brackets, so you can search either way. The page addresses on the Japanese side use the DMM ID; the English pages at /en/ use the same ID so both languages line up.

Reading the era from the prefix

Prefixes roll over roughly every few years, so the prefix alone dates a title. SNIS is mid-2010s, SSNI late 2010s, SSIS 2020 onward, SONE 2024 onward. IPZ became IPX around 2018 and IPZZ in 2023. MIDE became MIDV in 2021. If you are trying to work out whether a title is recent enough to be in 4K or to have an official trailer, the prefix is a quick tell.

Suffixes and variants

A trailing letter or word usually marks a variant: v or VR for a VR edition, dod for a bundle, and 4K flags in the genre list rather than in the code. Best-of compilations get their own prefixes (often with 4 or 8 hours in the genre list) and a single compilation can span dozens of original codes.

How to look a code up

Search the code together with avdoko, or open the English catalogue and browse new releases and rankings. Each title page gives you the cast, studio, label, series, genres in English, the release date, sample images and (for most video titles) the official trailer, plus a note on what you can actually watch from your region. If you are outside Japan, read how to watch JAV outside Japan before you try to buy anything.

FAQ

Why do some codes have letters after the number?

They mark a variant edition, most often a VR version (v) or a bundle. The base title is the same code without the suffix.

What does the h_ prefix in a DMM ID mean?

It is DMM's internal maker prefix followed by a maker number. It is not part of the public work code and you can ignore it when searching.

Can two different titles share a work code?

Not within one label. Across labels a prefix is unique, so a full code identifies exactly one title.

Are amateur titles coded the same way?

Amateur labels use the same letters-plus-number pattern but the numbers often run higher and prefixes change more often.

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