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Meaning of "otaku" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF OTAKU

otaku  [ɔːˈtɑːkuː] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF OTAKU

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Otaku is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES OTAKU MEAN IN ENGLISH?

otaku

Otaku

Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, commonly the anime and manga fandom. Its contemporary usage originated with Akio Nakamori's 1983 essay in Manga Burikko. Otaku can be used as a pejorative; its negativity stems from the stereotypical view of otaku and the media's reporting on Tsutomu Miyazaki's "The Otaku Murder" in 1989. According to studies published in 2013, the term has become less negative, and many people now self-identify as otaku. Otaku subculture is a central theme of various anime and manga works, documentaries and academic research. The subculture began in the 1980s as changing social mentalities and the nurturing of otaku traits by Japanese schools combined with the resignation of such individuals to become social outcasts. The subculture's birth coincided with the anime boom, after the release of works like Mobile Suit Gundam before branched into Comic Market. The definition of otaku subsequently became more complex, and numerous classifications of otaku emerged. In 2005, the Nomura Research Institute divided otaku into twelve groups and estimated the size and market impact of each of these groups.

Definition of otaku in the English dictionary

The definition of otaku in the dictionary is a computer geek, or a person otherwise absorbed in a very particular technical hobby who is generally considered to be socially inept.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH OTAKU


buchu
ˈbuːkuː
bunraku
bʊnˈrɑːkuː
cou-cou
ˈkuːkuː
gagaku
ˈɡɑːɡɑːkuː
haku
hɑːkuː
kotukutuku
kɒtuːkuːtuːkuː
kuku
kuːkuː
Maluku
mɑːˈluːkuː
mamakau
ˈmɑːmɑːkuː
mamako
ˈmɑːmɑːkuː
mamaku
ˈmɑːmɑːkuː
minshuku
mɪnˈʃuːkuː
nunchaku
nʌnˈtʃɑːkuː
puku
ˈpuːkuː
raku
ˈrɑːkuː
seppuku
sɛˈpuːkuː
tucutucu
ˌtuːkuːˈtuːkuː

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE OTAKU

otalgia
otalgic
otarine
otary
OTB
OTC
OTE
other
other from
other ranks
other than
other things being equal
other world
other-directed
othergates
otherguess
otherness
others
otherwhere

WORDS THAT END LIKE OTAKU

Baku
Daimoku
haiku
hapuku
hokku
kotuku
nogaku
rokkaku
Sato Eisaku
Shikoku
sudoku
Turku

Synonyms and antonyms of otaku in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «otaku» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF OTAKU

Find out the translation of otaku to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of otaku from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «otaku» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

宅男
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

otaku
570 millions of speakers

English

otaku
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

otaku
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أوتاكو
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

отаку
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

otaku
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

otaku
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

otaku
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Otaku
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

otaku
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

オタク
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

오타쿠
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Otaku
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

otaku
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

ஒட்டாக்கு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

ओटाक्यू
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

otaku
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

otaku
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

otaku
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

отаку
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

otaku
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

otaku
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

otaku
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

otaku
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

otaku
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of otaku

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «OTAKU»

The term «otaku» is very widely used and occupies the 8.941 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
96
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «otaku» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of otaku
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «otaku».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «OTAKU» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «otaku» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «otaku» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about otaku

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «OTAKU»

Discover the use of otaku in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to otaku and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Otaku: Japan's Database Animals
Printbegrænsninger: Der kan printes 10 sider ad gangen og max. 40 sider pr. session
Hiroki Azuma, 2009
2
Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo
What is the Anime City?
Patrick Macias, Tomohiro Machiyama, 2004
3
Fandom Unbound: Otaku Culture in a Connected World
This timely volume investigates how this once marginalized popular culture has come to play a major role in Japan'
Mizuko Ito, Daisuke Okabe, 2012
4
Otaku Spaces
"Otaku Spaces sets out to explain the complicated subculture of otaku through the stories of otaku themselves...Galbraith and photographer Androniki Christodoulou allow the otaku subjects they feature to take control of their own narrative.
Patrick W. Galbraith, 2012
5
Contemporary Youth Culture: An International Encyclopedia
Lawrence Eng has described otaku in terms of an "Otaku Ethic," highlighting their particular philosophy of information, their mode of resistance as "reluctant insiders," and their quasi-scientific activities with an emphasis on technology.4 As  ...
Shirley R. Steinberg, Priya Parmar, Birgit Richard, 2006
6
The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation
popularity of Evangelion (as a widespread otaku commercial success), that it became possible to affirm otaku. That is when Okada's Introduction to Otakuology appeared, celebrating otaku in a straightforward way that was not possible at the  ...
Thomas LaMarre, 2009
7
Anime Trivia Quizbook: From Easy to Otaku Obscure, Episode 1
Anime with attitude! First in a series of trivia challenge books for the exploding anime market.
Ryan Omega, 2000
8
I, Otaku
Meet closet "otaku" Sota, a seemingly normal high school student with a secret obsession for the dog-eared anime character Papico.
‎2010
9
Otaku Engagements: Subcultural Appropriation of Science and ...
Even as contemporary youth are encouraged to become familiar with information technologies (IT), the impacts of those technologies on their well-being have been the subject of increasing concern.
Lawrence Eng, 2006
10
The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture ...
With over 500 entries, including common expressions, people, places & moments of otaku history, this is a comprehensive A-Z of facts about popular culture in modern Japan.
Patrick W. Galbraith, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «OTAKU»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term otaku is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Sekai Project Enters Manga Publishing Market with GATE
Led by otaku soldier Yōji, they find that the villages in the world are being attacked by a dragon. An elf girl who is a survivor from the dragon's ... «Anime News Network, Jul 15»
2
Japan's Population Crisis
Secondly, there is an increasing 'Otaku' culture in modern Japan. Otaku is the word which literally translates to 'geek' but it used to describe the increasing ... «The Market Mogul, Jul 15»
3
New Bakuon! custom motorcycle lottery has anime fans' hearts racing
Sometimes otaku get a bad rap, considered introverts who obsesses only over things like anime or video games. But actually there are quite a ... «RocketNews24, Jul 15»
4
Otakon Begins and the Otaku Converge on Baltimore
Now that the granddaddy of all conventions–San Diego Comic-Con–is safely in this year's rear-view mirror, we can finally return our attention to ... «GeekDad, Jul 15»
5
Outbreak Company Series Collection | Anime Review
Now working for the Japanese Government, his job is to introduce otaku culture into a kingdom which still highly regards the class system, ... «The Otaku's Study, Jul 15»
6
The clean otaku only needs one thing to remove grime from an …
Casual fans can appreciate the fact that they don't take up much space and have a touch of practicality, while full-on otaku enjoy assembling a ... «RocketNews24, Jul 15»
7
Kickstarter Campaign for 'The Essential Otaku Guide to Tokyo …
TOKYO, Japan - July 16th, 2015 - The Essential Otaku Guide to Tokyo is a book project by Adrian Lozano, Ed Hoff and Kiyoko Kato collecting ... «Crunchyroll News, Jul 15»
8
Anime Expo Is Where the Otaku Are Found Mimicking Favorite …
Anime fans refer to themselves as Otaku, and they were in abundance at the annual Anime Expo. This Expo typically runs during the 4th of July ... «Guardian Liberty Voice, Jul 15»
9
Japan's Otaku Idols Dempagumi Inc. to Release First International …
Dempagumi Inc. are already turning heads overseas, and now the otaku superstars break out of Tokyo's Akihabara district to bring their music ... «Anime News Network, Jul 15»
10
Win a Free Figure from Tokyo Otaku Mode
Our friends over at Tokyo Otaku Mode (TOM) are letting us give away 3 figures from their store to three of our readers, provided you share this ... «Anime News Network, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Otaku [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/otaku>. Apr 2024 ».
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