Japanese

Noun

おたく ‎(romaji otaku)

1. お宅: your home
2. お宅: (personal pronoun) you

Etymology 2

From お宅, 1982–1983 Macross fans, or perhaps earlier; see Wikipedia discussion.

Alternative forms

• オタク
• ヲタク

Noun

おたく ‎(romaji otaku)

1. geek, nerd; one who is obsessed with something to the exclusion of such things as social interaction

Derived terms

Antonyms

• リア充

Usage notes

• In American English, the word otaku is often used by anime lovers when referring to a big fan of anime or manga. In Japanese however, it is always derogatory.