Japanese
numbers
kanji
recognition
diagrams
Japanese
units
dictionary
to English
dictionary
| sci.lang.japan FAQ / 6. Word meanings |
The term otaku for obsessive fans of anime (Japanese animated film), computer games and so on seems to have been started with a column otaku no kenkyuu (「おたく」の研究) written by columnist Akio Nakamori (中森明夫) in 1983.
Otaku is a polite word that means "you" (see also 9.1. What are the personal pronouns of Japanese?) or "your household" or "your house". Taku means "residence" or "home" and the o- in front of the word makes it more polite. Because of the respect implied the meaning becomes "your home".
たとえば中学生ぐらいのガキがコミケとかアニメ大会とかで友達に
「おたくらさぁ」なんて呼びかけてるのってキモイと思わない。
Akio Nakamori (中森明夫),
"Otaku no kenkyuu (2)" (『おたく』の研究（２）)
In Nakamori's articles, which fairly strongly express disgust with the unhealthiness and nerdiness of the fans, he claims that he created the term from the kimoi (see 8.4. What are these i adjectives kimoi and muzui which aren't in the dictionary?) way that school-age fans of comics and animation would call each other otaku, a formal word for "you" usually restricted to the older generation. Nakamori's series of articles was cancelled by the magazine Toukyou Otona Kurabu (東京おとなクラブ) due to reader protests.
In Japan, the word otaku has very negative connotations, and is often associated with weirdness and creepiness. For example, the child-murderer Tsutomu Miyazaki, who owned a huge collection of videos and comics depicting paedophilia, was described as the "otaku murderer". Few Japanese people would regard being called otaku as anything other than an insult. See also 8.5. What are some Japanese insults and swear-words? However, American fans of Japanese animation and comics have taken to using the word otaku to mean "anime fan", without the pejorative overtones associated with the word in Japanese.
This article was originally taken from a newsgroup post by David Luke.
Copyright © 1994-2011 Ben Bullock
If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Book reviews |
Convert Japanese numbers |
Handwritten kanji recognition |
Stroke order diagrams |
Convert Japanese units |
Popup dictionary |
Japanese to English dictionary |