Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

otaku

/oʊˈtɑku/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables
otaku
IPA
/oʊˈtɑku/
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One with an obsessive interest in something, particularly (originally derogatory) an obsessive Japanese fan of anime or manga.

Slang

Etymology

From Japanese オタク (otaku, “geek, nerd”) originally used in reference to the 1982 Macross fandom, from the honorific form お宅 (otaku, “you”), from the honorific form 宅 (taku, “home”) ("your home").

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /oʊˈtɑku/
  • British English: /əʊˈtɑːkuː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

otakus (plural)

Derived Forms

otacore otakudom otakuism otakukin

Frequently Paired Words

fanboy fangirl geek mangaka weeaboo

Questions

How do you pronounce otaku?
The recorded pronunciation is /oʊˈtɑku/.
What does otaku mean?
One with an obsessive interest in something, particularly (originally derogatory) an obsessive Japanese fan of anime or manga.
Where does otaku come from?
It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce otaku

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “otaku”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/oʊˈtɑku/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “otaku”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “otaku” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.