The meaning of “otaku” / 「オタク」の意味

ようこそ！

This is our Senshu Otaku blog. While staying in Japan during the spring of 2014, we will be looking at various aspects of otaku culture and focusing on important words. Otaku is a term that goes all the way back to the 1980’s in Japan. It describes someone with a passionate or obsessive interest in something. Otaku of a similar mind often group together to discuss their interests. In this way, we have anime otaku, manga otaku, idol otaku, computer otaku, and even otaku interested in things such as trains, cars, cameras, and history. These grouping form the basis of otaku culture, and each group has its own slang and use of language.

Otaku are often portrayed in media such as anime and manga as well.

The term 「おたく」is derived from the word 「お宅」（おたく）, a formal term meaning “you” or “your home.” There are a few ideas about how the original word came into usage as a name for this group of people, which, in fact, is an interesting reflection of the various perspectives on おたく culture itself.

For example, some believe that the term refers to individuals identified as おたく typically remaining within their own home, and stems from a negative perspective of おたく that sees them as shut-ins. This type of perspective of おたく is unfortunately quite typical in mainstream Japanese culture.

However, the historical origin of the word appears to be different. The term 「お宅」was originally used among fans and members of clubs. There are a few explanations for this usage. One is that it was used at conventions out of respect for other individuals’ clubs. Another is that it was started by Macross creators Shoji Kawamore and Haruhiko Mikimoto; these two individuals attended the upper-class Keio University in the same years, and addressed one another with the more refined term 「お宅」 instead of 「あなた」. Fans caught on and began to use 「お宅」out of respect for these studio creators, and eventually towards one another. Yet another explanation is that fans used it in direct imitation of Hikaru Ichijoe, the main character of Macross, who used the term to address other characters.

Journalist Akio Nakamori was the first to use 「おたく」 as a label for this group of people in 1983 in his article 「街には『おたく』がいっぱい」 ("This City is Full of Otaku") and subsequent writings. The article portrayed a very negative stereotype of anime and manga fans at conventions, and the term 「おたく」 was chosen to reference their overly-formal usage of the word 「お宅」.

Sept. 2008 Location: Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan © Kalandrakas | www.jessleecuizon.com | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The plan for this blog will be to look into various aspects of おたく culture, and the type of language they use. Posts may focus on a certain term, the meaning of it, its origins, and how it reflects that particular おたく subculture. Some of the subcultures that we plan to focus on are the Idol Otakus, Anime Otakus, Cosplay Otakus, and what we call Western Otakus. However, because there are many more types, there may be additional coverage based on what we see once we are over there.

By exploring popular おたく areas such as 秋葉原 (Akihabara), maid cafes, idol concerts and the like and interviewing people, as well as using our previous knowledge, we will use this blog to explain those important parts of おたく culture!