...in the sense that both are used for the words "pervert", "perverted" or derrivatives, but with either negative or neutral/positive connotations.
Ecchi is a much, much "younger" term, however.
A friend of mine is Japanese, she tells me that she uses hentai as a more offensive way to call someone a pervert.
Anyways, since "Ecchi" (H) is only part of the full word "Hentai", it's often used for perverted animes, as they aren't really full fledged hentai.






