An avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego¹ or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon² in Internet forums³ and other online communities. It is an object representing the user.

Avatar指能够代表用户个人或其性格的一个图像，即我们常说的“头像”或“个人秀”。这个头像可以是网络游戏或者虚拟世界里三维立体的图像，也可以是网络论坛或社区里常用的二维平面图像。它是可以代表用户本人的一个标志物。

The use of the term avatar for the on-screen representation of the user was coined in 1985 by Chip Morningstar and Joseph Romero in designing LucasFilm's online role-playing game Habitat, coming from the term’s original meaning of “a descent of the Supreme⁴ Being” in Hinduism, translated as " incarnation " or "manifestation⁵" in English.

最先用avatar这个词来指代用户网络形象的是切普•莫宁斯塔和约瑟夫•罗梅罗，他们在1985年为卢卡斯影视公司设计网络角色扮演游戏时使用了这个词，取自于avatar这个词在印度教中的原始意思“圣人降临”，也就是“化身”或者“代表”的意思。