otaku

WOTD - 20 June 2008    

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Japanese おたく (“geek, nerd”). Originally refers to one's household.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ɔˈtɑ.ku/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

otaku (plural otakus)

1. (fandom slang) One with an obsessive interest in something, particularly anime or manga.

Translations

one with an obsessive interest

Chinese: Mandarin: (male nerd) 宅男 (cmn) (zháinán), (female nerd) 宅女 (cmn) (zháinǚ), (fan) 粉絲 (cmn), 粉丝 (cmn) (fěnsī), (one obsessed with Japanese things) 哈日族 (cmn) (hāRìzú) Finnish: otaku (fi)

French: otaku (fr) m. and f. Japanese: オタク (ja) (otaku), おたく (ja) (otaku) Korean: 오타쿠 (ko) (otaku) Russian: отаку (ru) (otáku) m. and f. (indeclinable)

References

• An Introduction to the Otaku Movement (academic paper in English).