オタク – What does Otaku mean in Japanese
What does Otaku mean in Japanese? The word Otaku is a Japanese word that is used to refer to those who are obsessed with stuff like Manga and Anime and Trains. Japanese Manga and Anime for decades now have been so popular that it is easy to find people obsessed with it anywhere you go.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/
It’s become so popular that Otaku is now used in English. But what are the origins of the word Otaku and how is it used originally in Japanese?
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Otaku originally refers to someone’s house.
The word Otaku comes from the Japanese “お宅”（おたく）. This word is a polite way of referring to someone’s house or home. To ask someone where they live you could say “お宅はどちらですか？” Meaning, “Where do you live”, “Which way is your house?”. The word お宅 also refers to someone’s family. Like, “お宅は何人家族ですか？” How many people are in your family.” You can also say お宅 when talking to someone you don’t know. It is one of the many words used in Japanese for ‘You’. I wrote a whole article on that in What do I call ‘You’ in Japanese?.
The Etymology of Otaku when used for Anime
When referring to Otaku in the way it is used in English it is written in Katakana or Hiragana like “オタク” or “おたく”. As stated above, when people don’t know the name of the person they are talking to they may use the word お宅 to refer to each other. It believed that in the 1970s the term to refer to Anime and Manga fans originated from these fans gathering and calling call each-other “お宅”. From then on all the stereotypes started and the word became a derogatory term for these people.
Otaku is used for other areas of Interest
The word Otaku in English usually refers to someone obsessed with Anime, Manga, or maybe even Japanese pop-culture. In Japanese おたく is used as a suffix for several other things that people can get obsessed about. You have of course “アニメおたく” (Anime Otaku)、”漫画おたく” (Manga Otaku) and “ゲームおたく” (Game Otaku) but you can use it for more. For example, someone obsessed with Japanese pop singers would be an “アイドルおたく” (Idol Otaku), or someone obsessed with trains would be a “電車おたく” (Train Otaku).
Anime, Manga, and Games for Learning Japanese
Japan has created lots of interesting things that all people can have an appreciation for. There are people in and out of Japan that don’t have the best view of Otaku because of the bad stereotype. Regardless, if you are interested in Anime and Manga it is a good way to spark an interest in Japan and to learn Japanese. There are many everyday phrases in Manga that textbooks won’t teach you. Reading or watching Anime will introduce you to those phrases.
You can use Manga to learn Japanese but it is very stylistic. Japanese do not speak like that in real life. Japan is a very high-context culture. As you learn the language it is important to know how to speak differently in different situations. Anyway, just vary your sources of learning and it won’t be a problem. I hope to write more about this subject sometime in the future. Good luck with your studies!
