otaku 

One who obsesses about something or someone to an unhealthy extent, sacraficing most, if not all, of their social life.

Often used (incorrectly) by American anime fans as a trendy term to describe themselves.

Correct usage: anata wa otaku desu. (You are a nerd.)

Incorrect usage: I like anime, so I'm an otaku. (This is, however, correct if the person saying it has no life outside of anime.)

otaku by Nosferatu June 20, 2003

otaku 

Japanese word/adjective which roughly translates into "infatuated", "extreme fanatic", or "obsessed to the point of being borderline deranged."

mainly used to describe the Wapanese people who watch ridiculous amounts ofanime. they, in turn, will use the word to dsecribe themselves, as if they are actually proud of being otaku. they don't know that the word has a negative meaning to it.

1: I'm so otaku, I have all the latest Yu-Gi-Oh things, and I just bought the new Ayumi CD! So ureshii!

2: Jesus Christ...

otaku by KRHimself September 3, 2004

otaku 

Someone who is obbsessed, and has no life outside of their obbsession. It's an insult in Japan. Mostly said like "anime otaku". Someone who is obbsessed with Japanese animation.

Not all otaku are bad.

otaku by C-chan November 6, 2003

Otaku 

In Japan, the term OTAKU is normally deragatory, meant as an insult. It basically means 'lifeless loser who never leaves their house'.
In America and Canada, though, it is used to refer to anime/manga fans and sometimes video gamers. It is used to refer to somebody as a geek, opposed to a loser, and is not a deragatory meaning.
So it is important that if you go to Japan that you do not use the word without clearly stating what you mean.

Canadian: I could tell you ANYTHING about anime!
American: You are such an Otaku!
Candian: I know, right!
Japanese: Canadains and Americans are a little...odd...

Otaku by in-the-stars March 1, 2009

Otaku 

A term that is miss-used by both the Japanese and other countries.

In Japanese its the honorific of home. meaning the person is a shut-in. They also refer to a community that visit certain places such as akihabara, Tokyo train station, ect. Otaku in America and other places is a term to describe fanatic fans of a certain thing ,mostly anime. In japan there are also other types of otaku such as train otaku "IE train station", Bridge otaku, anime otaku, music otaku, ect...

In America people think that it is being used wrong, but in actuality its just being used in the alternative term.

In japan the term is sometimes refereed to as something really bad. But their is a growing population that take the name otaku with pride. Demonstrations are being held. ect ect...

EX. how can a train otaku be an "otaku" if he actually leaves his/her house to go look at trains.

EX. how can an anime otaku be and "otaku" if he/she goes out to cosplay shops, akihabara, and other social events such as cons, "maid cafes", where the person HAS to meet other people.

Otaku by KoDuu July 17, 2010

otaku 

Japanese: Someone who is an excessive fanatic on any subject or person, becoming experts on everything about. Otaku comes from the word to mean home, someone who's so obessesed that they never leave home.

English: An anime fan who has apparently never been to Japan. They have no idea what the word means but use it because of it's popularity in a retarded attempt to try to become Japanese. They feel anime is the only thing that makes Japan unique or special, and feel that anime as given them the "Japanese Aura of Enlightenment." They role-play as anime characters and dress up like anime characters because they are in such despair of their lives that they have to pass themselves off as anime characters. People with no self-esteem.

Japanese: That lolita otaku murdered a bunch of school girls, and apparently was stalking them well before he did it.

English: Hey Joe, there's that fucktard cartoon nerd, what did he call himself again? Oh yeah, an otaku. Let's kick his ass.

otaku by harajuku October 4, 2005

Otaku 

Unfortunately an extremely hated word, the definition for Otaku is, when you get right down to it, an anime obsessor. These (us) are people who love anime. They're obsessed, they're nerds, and they know it (True, from personal experience as an Otaku, and I still am a proud one!).

This doesn't mean that they have no social life. In fact their social life is about the same, if not better, than non-Otakus since there are just so many other Otaku out there to talk with!

Another myth is that they have no social life. WRONG! I have a fioncee` and we're both Otaku. I know guys who are Otaku who have girlfriends, too. Pretty good ones at that.

Just because you're an Otaku and will do pretty much anything for anime does not mean that you have no social life or ever will have one. True that it's mostly on the computer but not always, definitely not always.

I'm an otaku and proud of it! Anyone want to say otherwise? Let me reprase: Anyone want to have their bodies blown out on to the pavement?

Otaku by Alex W December 28, 2005