otaku

American  

[oh-tah-koo] / ˌoʊˈtɑ ku /

noun

Japanese.

plural

otaku, otakus

1. a person with an intense enthusiasm for some subject such as computers, video games, or anime and manga, especially one who finds social interaction difficult (often used attributively).

   She's quite the military otaku and knows a lot about war history.

   The documentary delves into otaku culture.

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Etymology

Origin of otaku

First recorded in 1990–95; from Japanese: “enthusiast, geek, nerd, obsessive fan,” special use of the 2nd person pronoun, literally, “your home,” from o-, 2nd person honorific prefix ( omakase ( def. ) ) + taku “home” (from Middle Chinese; compare Mandarin zhái, Cantonese zaak )

Example Sentences

Japan is also where Donnelly first encountered otaku culture, whose adherents have a rabid appetite for manga and anime, and for collecting the related figurines that have become a kind of shadow market.

From New York Times