otaku

English

WOTD – 20 June 2008

Etymology

From Japanese オタク (otaku, “nerd, geek”), from お宅 (otaku, honorific for “you”), originally the honorific version of 宅 (taku, “home”).
Always derogatory when used in Japanese.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əʊˈtɑːkuː/, [əʊ̯ˈtʰɑːkʰuː]
• (US) IPA^(key): /oʊˈtɑku/, [o̞ʊ̯ˈtʰɑkʰu]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

otaku (plural otakus or otaku)

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

Derived terms

• otakukin

Translations

one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga

• Arabic: أُوتَاكُو‎‎ m (ʾūtākū)
• Bengali: ওতাকু (otaku)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 御宅族 (jyu⁶ zaak^6-2 zuk⁶)

  Mandarin: (male nerd) 宅男 (zh) (zháinán), (female nerd) 宅女 (zh) (zháinǚ), 御宅族 (zh) (yùzháizú), (fan) 粉絲 (zh), 粉丝 (zh) (fěnsī), (one obsessed with Japanese things) 哈日族 (zh) (hāRìzú)

• Finnish: otaku
• French: otaku (fr) m, f
• German: Otaku (de) m
• Greek: οτάκου m, f (otákou)
• Hebrew: אוֹטָאקוּ‎‎ m (otáku)
• Italian: otaku (it) m, f
• Japanese: オタク, ヲタク (otaku)
• Korean: 오타쿠 (ko) (otaku), 오덕후 (odeokhu)

• Macedonian: отаку m (otaku)
• Marathi: ओताकु m (otāku)
• Persian: اتاکو‎‎ (otâku)
• Polish: otaku (pl) m
• Portuguese: otaku (pt) m, f
• Romanian: otaku (ro) m, f
• Russian: ота́ку (ru) m, f (otáku)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: отаку m

  Roman: otaku m

• Spanish: otaku (es) m, f
• Thai: โอะตะกุ (ò-dtà-gù)
• Ukrainian: ота́ку m, f (otáku)

See also

• fanboy, fangirl

References

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

---

Italian

Etymology

First recorded in 1992: from Japanese オタク (otaku, “nerd, geek”), from お宅 (otaku, honorific for “you”), originally the honorific version of 宅 (taku, “home”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈta.ku/, [oˈt̪äːku]
• Hyphenation: o‧tà‧ku

Noun

otaku m, f (invariable)

1. (fandom slang) otaku (one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga)

---

Japanese

Romanization

otaku

1. Rōmaji transcription of おたく
2. Rōmaji transcription of オタク

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From Japanese オタク (otaku, “nerd, geek”), from お宅 (otaku, honorific for “you”), originally the honorific version of 宅 (taku, “home”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈta.ku/
• Hyphenation: o‧ta‧ku

Noun

otaku m, f (plural otakus)

1. (fandom slang) otaku (one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga)

---

Spanish

Etymology

From Japanese オタク (otaku, “nerd, geek”), from お宅 (otaku, honorific for “you”), originally the honorific version of 宅 (taku, “home”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈtaku/, [oˈt̪aku]
• Hyphenation: o‧ta‧ku

Noun

otaku m, f (plural otakus)

1. (fandom slang) otaku (one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga)