Slang dictionary

weeb

[weeb]

What does weeb mean?

A weeb is a derisive term for a non-Japanese person who is so obsessed with Japanese culture that they wish they were actually Japanese.

Related words

weeaboo, 4chan, kawaii, otaku, yaoinsfw, anime freak, anime kiss

Where does weeb come from?

Hi Mari / YouTube

Weeb is a short form of weeaboo, a term first used by users of 4chan to insult obsessive fans of Japanese culture. A nonsense word, weeaboo has been used since the early 2000s, almost as long as 4chan itself has existed. The shortened weeb, however, doesn’t seem to have become popular until the early 2010s. Weeb first appears on Twitter in 2010, Urban Dictionary in 2011, and on 4chan’s archives in 2012.

As for Google search interest, weeb takes off in 2011 and overtakes weeaboo in 2018. Weeaboo/weeb are used to describe so-called “wannabe Japanese.” On 4chan, the two words are used as insults against Westerners who are obsessed with Japanese culture to an irritating degree.

Typical weeaboo/weeb behavior includes using Japanese words and phrases in everyday speech, declaring Japanese culture to be superior to one’s own, spending large amounts of money on anime and manga, and collecting more unusual Japan-made products like idol figures and body pillows.

Examples of weeb

The REAL Bullet Club would give Kenny Omega a swirly while calling him a weeb

Headline, Medium (headline), March 2018
Ratatouille is a charming film about friendship and the beauty of cooking. My stupid weeb brain: Remi is a mecha pilot
@KlownCar, December 2018
Me.me
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Who uses weeb?

Weeb remains very popular on 4chan. Archive sites list over 100,000 uses of the word on 4chan in 2018 alone.

4chan

Weeb has also become popular outside of 4chan. Whereas on 4chan weeb is meant as a harsh insult, it is usually used jokingly on other social media sites to describe someone as an ardent fan of Japanese culture. Some people even proudly self-identify as weebs.

Just Added

Easter emoji, gorpcore, sleep divorce, masculine energy, anti-bride

Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of weeb like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of weeb that will help our users expand their word mastery.