オタク
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Japanese
Alternative forms
Etymology
From お宅 (otaku), the honorific version of 宅 (taku, “home”), referring to 1982–1983 Macross fans, or perhaps earlier; see Wikipedia discussion.
Pronunciation
Noun
- (chiefly derogatory) geek, nerd, freak; one who is obsessed with something to the exclusion of such things as social interaction.
- 2002, 山田裕康 [Yamada Hiroyasu], LDの可能性を広げる, page 11:
- しかし、多くの友達にとってはそんなことにはまったく興味はなく、「またかよ〜」と飽き飽きしているのですが、「電車の時刻表」、「ポットン便所」、「明智光秀」、「テレビ番組の細かすぎるオタク」と、どんな話題からもルド君はそちらに持って行ってしまうのです。
- Shikashi, ōku no tomodachi ni totte wa sonna koto ni wa mattaku kyōmi wa naku,“mata ka yo~” to akiaki shiteiru no desu ga,“densha no jikokuhyō”,“potton benjo”,“Akechi Mitsuhide”,“terebi bangumi no komakasugiru otaku” to, donna wadai kara mo Rudo-kun wa sochira ni motte itte shimau no desu.
- (please add an English translation of this example)
- しかし、多くの友達にとってはそんなことにはまったく興味はなく、「またかよ〜」と飽き飽きしているのですが、「電車の時刻表」、「ポットン便所」、「明智光秀」、「テレビ番組の細かすぎるオタク」と、どんな話題からもルド君はそちらに持って行ってしまうのです。
- 2004, Jim Albert, Jay Bennett, translated by 加藤貴昭 [Katō Yoshiaki], メジャーリーグの数理科学 (上) [Major league mathematical science (first part)], page 58:
- 統計学者は所詮、数字オタクやグラフ作成者と思われがちだが、それは明らかに間違った解釈である。
- Tōkeigakusha wa shosen, sūji otaku ya gurafu sakuseisha to omoware gachi da ga, sore wa akiraka ni machigatta kaishaku dearu.
- Statisticians are after all liable to be thought of as number geeks and graph makers, but that is obviously a mistaken interpretation.
- 統計学者は所詮、数字オタクやグラフ作成者と思われがちだが、それは明らかに間違った解釈である。
- 2006, 亜洲奈みづほ [Asuna Mizuho], 台湾事始め:
Usage notes
- Unlike in English, where the word otaku is used to refer to fans of anime and manga specifically, this term can be used to denote people with a heavy interest in any other topic, theme or hobby.
- The term has recently gained derogatory connotations in its mainstream usage, whereas its non-derogatory usage continues mostly in its shortened forms オタ (ota) and ヲタ (ota) (see アニオタ (aniota, “anime fan”), 鉄オタ (tetsuota, "railway fan")).
Descendants
Descendants
- → Arabic: أُوتَاكُو (ʔūtākū)
- → Bengali: ওতাকু (ōtaku)
- ⇒ Chinese:
- → English: otaku
- → German: Otaku
- → Greek: οτάκου (otákou)
- → Hebrew: אוֹטָאקוּ (otáku)
- → Italian: otaku
- → Korean: 오타쿠 (otaku), 오덕후 (odeokhu)
- → Marathi: ओताकु (otāku)
- → Persian: اتاکو (otâku)
- → Russian: ота́ку (otáku)
- → Spanish: otaku
- → Thai: โอะตะกุ (ò-dtà-gù)
Further reading
- “同人用語の基礎知識/ Otaku”: a fairly comprehensive description in Japanese of the word and its origins.