Toru Higaki
Nerd, geek, or anorak? A person who is interested in a particular thing or activity, such as anime characters, video games or comic books is called "OTAKU" in Jsoanese. So which expression do you think is the best to describe OTAKU? 1) nerd, 2) geek, or 3) anorak. Please share your opinion on it with me.
Aug 27, 2016 2:13 AM
Answers · 4
3
"Geek" and "Nerd" are both okay, but "geek" is a little better here. "Nerd" subtly implies that someone's passion is something educational. A person who studies invertebrate biology, or latin, or calculus, for fun is a nerd. "Nerd" can also be used to describe excellent students. A person who can name every single character from their favorite show or collects anime figurines is a geek. Again, though, the difference is subtle, and you can use them interchangeably. No one will question it or think less of your english. I've never heard the term "anorak" before. I looked it up; it's apparently British? If you use it in a conversation with an American, they're unlikely to understand you. It's worth noting that the word "otaku" has been adopted by some hardcore english-speaking anime fans. Your average english speaker wouldn't recognize it, but college age/high school age geeks might.
August 27, 2016
2
I'm not sure I've ever heard 'anorak' used in that way. Nerd and geek mean essentially the same - I would say that 'nerd' is a bit more "serious" than geek is. I can't speak for Japanese culture, but I know that it's currently quite popular to have nerdy/geeky traits in the West. It's common for "normal" people to self-describe as a geek/nerd, rather than either word having their old meaning. We don't really have a dedicated word to describe someone who truly spends too much time on a hobby any more, although we do have insuts for specific hobbies.
August 27, 2016
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