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1. a person who is a big fan of anime.

2. an anime fanboy or fangirl.
person 1: “are you an otaku?”
person 2: “yes.”
otaku is the honorific word of taku (home).

otaku is extremely negative in meaning as it is used to refer to someone who stays at home all the time and doesn’t have a life (no social life, no love life, etc)

usually an otaku person has nothing better to do with their life so they p-ss the time by watching anime, playing videogames, surfing the internet (otaku is also used to refer to a nerd/hacker/programmer).

in the western culture, people confuse otaku to be something positive like “guru”. if you think about it, it’s not really good to be called a guru if it means you are a total loser who can’t socialize with other people except through the internet.

other j-panese words which have been confused by westerners also include but not limited to: anime, manga, etc
otaku no jinsei ha yabai na! (it sucks to live the life of an otaku!)
the term “otaku” seems to have been introduced to anime fans in the us and other countries via studio gainax’s “otaku no video 1985,” a self-parody film.
otaku, meaning probably “venerable house,” refers to someone who has a devotion to a subject or hobby (not necessarily anime) to the point of not leaving home. for instance, an otaku fan of a particular movie star could quite possibly know all of the films s/he has been in, their birth date, time of birth, shoe size, favorite toothpaste, etc. generally speaking, calling someone an otaku in j-pan is an insult, implying that their social skills have atrophied or never even developed, due to their manic involvement in their chosen fandom.

in america, the term is used to denote a zealous fan, usually of anime and/or manga. due to its introduction to most people’s vocabulary through its tongue-in-cheek use in gainax’s film, “otaku” tends to have a much less dire definition overseas.

when dealing with j-panese people, however, it may be best to keep in mind the modern j-panese image of an otaku — someone who only leaves their home to eat or shop, if at all, with an overwhelming and unhealthy obsession about something. it can as easily refer to a stalker or sociopath as it can to a harmless anime buff.

best to avoid the word altogether if one is not sure of the context in which it will be received.
positive: “oh, wow! check it out: neck-through, floyd rose locking tremolo and an optional push/pull coil tap!” (slaps forehead and laughs) “man, i am such a guitar otaku, aren’t i?”

negative: “stay clear of toshi, man. he’s such a rq otaku, always online. bet he’s never actually even talked to a real-live girl before… you never know when he’s gonna’ snap, right?”
otaku is a j-panese word for house.

as in you never leave it.
please don’t call yourself an otaku, especially in front of real j-panese people, which you most likely never meet.
a j-panese word describing a person beyond the realm of fandom but into mania that is improperly used by american fans.

in j-pan the word “otaku” has become taboo because of miyazaki tsutomu who went on a toddler murdering spree in the 80’s, video taping the young girls he had murdered from an obsession with lolicon (female pedophilic manga).

americans use this term to call themselves “fanboys” or “fangirls” with almost no knowledge of the horrific roots behind the word.
american fangirl: “i have a huge collection of macross, nge, sailor moon, yaoi, and many other anime! i’m such an otaku!”
non-anime fan: “…uhm, you do know about that word right?”
otaku has multiple meanings. casual anime fans use this word in the context of being a well established fan who knows much about anime and manga. j-panese see this term as derogitory which represents a person who is a lifeless nerd. wapanese see this as derogitory given their strong beilief that because they watched some anime that all the sudden they are j-panese.
this is a high-context word, in the american dialect, given the type of people using the word and the context of the discussion this otaku could mean expert or geek, complemetary or derogatory.
larry has a wealth of knowlege about anime, he is a real otaku.
j-pan:in j-panese was “otaku” very polite form of “you” (literally your house). during the time the meaning has changed to hardcore fan of something usually manga and anime. otaku has became used in meaning : nerd or jerk. nowadays in j-pan is the meaning returning back to non-offensive usage because of econimic trends.

elsewhere: out of j-pan is the term “otaku” used in the meaning of hardcore fan of anime and manga. many of anime fans call themselves otaku despite knowing it’s meaning in j-pan.
i’m otaku and i’m proud of it.
an extremely negative j-panese term, referring to a shut-in or someone with no social life. it also implies that the person’s entire life is molded around fictional characters (usually anime and manga).
in america, the term has been embraced by anime fans, who (as they do with many j-panese words), use the word incorrectly as a positive term for fanboy/girl.
1. “g-d, that kid is such an otaku. he won’t leave the bas-m-nt unless it’s to buy new dragon ball fansubs.”
2. “i, like, so totally love sailor moon! serena rawks! i am, like, the ultimate sailor moon otaku!”

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