These words have somehow managed to work their ways into the general vocabulary of some American otakus. Some are based on Japanese Words, and some are just pure Japanese. You can use these to write fanfiction, to talk to other people, to instant message, or (my personal favorite) blow your parents' minds. ^^
Anime-Japanese cartoons, which have their own distinctive style from American cartoons. The human characters generally look slightly less realistic, than say, an animated Batman drawn in America. Anime also has its own cliches.
Arigatou-Thank you (ex. "Oh, Mom, arigatou! I love the new dress!)
Baka-Fool, idiot, general insult (ex. "What? You're going out with HIM? What do you see in that baka?")
Bishonen-A pretty boy in anime; otaku girls usually use this term to describe anime men they wish were real so they could date. (ex. "I love Harry McDougal and Duo Maxwell and Darien Shields and James and Gene Starwind and..." "Gee, Mary! How many bishonen do you have?")
Bishojo-A pretty girl in anime; I've never heard it used but it's possible otaku guys use this term to describe anime women they wouldn't mind having as their girlfriends. (ex. "Man, that Sailor Mars is one hot bishojo!")
Gomen ne-"I'm sorry". You could also just say "Gomen" and mean the same thing.
Hai-"Yes"
Iie-"No"
Kawaii-Cute, can be used to describe an anime character or a real person (ex. "Sharon, that dress is so kawaii on you!")
Manga-Japanese Comic Books. They differ from American comic books in that they're black and white and have more detail than American comics do.
(NOTE: "Manga" is not only used to describe comic books, but also a style of drawing. Anime drawings are usually brigher and less detailed, Manga is usually more elegant looking and more detailed. Confused? I'll try to help. Click here for an example of an anime Sailor Pluto and here for an example of a manga Sailor Pluto. Get it now?)
Mecha-A giant robot, usually operated by a pilot. The gundams used in Gundam Wing and other gundam series are prime examples of mechas. Mecha can also take the form of walking suits of armor that don't necessarily resemble giant humanoid robots. (Well, more or less humanoid...)
Moonie-A fan of Sailor Moon, one of the most popular animes outside Japan. It's possible to be an Otaku without being a Moonie.
Nani?-"What?" (ex. "Earth to Sarah, hello!!" "Nani? Say what?)
Otaku-As it is used in America's anime fanbase, an otaku is a fan of anime (ex. "So you're an otaku, eh? How many animes do you like?")
Otaku Ronin-A fan-created Ronin Warrior (ex. Teresa of the Wind or Kyle of the Earth)
Otaku Senshi-A fan-created Sailor Scout (ex. Sailor Sun and Sailor Earth are popular Otaku Senshi names)
The list goes on...
Seifuku-A school uniform, like what the Sailor Scouts wear.
Seiyuu-A voice actor
Shonen Anime-An anime that tends to be geared towards guys, although girls enjoy them too. Shonen Anime tends to have more fighting and mobile suits. The main characters are often rugged, fearless, seemingly invulnerable guys with huge muscles. (ex. DragonballZ, Full Metal Panic)
Shouju Anime-This type of anime tends to be geared more towards girls, although I'm sure there are plenty of guys who enjoy shoujo. Shouju anime is mainly about magical powers and complex relationships. The main characters tend to be characters that develop as the season progreses, and they not only face their supernatural enemies but they have real problems. (ex. Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yuugi)
Note: Most anime doesn't fall neatly into the category of Shonen or Shouju.
Sumimasen-"Excuse me" ("Sumimasen, but I think you dropped something...")
Name Suffixes
-Chan-Denotes friendship. In the subtitled Sailor Moon, the characters call each other -chan all the time. (Ex. "Serena-chan, you're driving me crazy!")
-San-Denotes respect, similar to calling somebody "Miss Rachel" or "Mr. Bob" in America. (Ex. "Good morning, Bob-san, how are you?")
-Sama-Denotes a very high amount of respect, such as that reserved for a lord or higher samurai.
-Sensei-A suffix used for a teacher. For instance, instead of calling your art teacher Mr. Smith, you'd call him Smith-sensei.
Symbols Otakus use on the internet and on Email:
^_^ = A smiley face
^_^; = A sweatdrop, like one that appears on an anime character when they're confused or embarrassed. The more ;'s, the more intense the sweatdrops.
-_- = Boredom, exhaustion, or a feeling of being ticked off.
>_< = Anger or frustration
~_^ = A wink
One last note: A polite Otaku will never dis another Otaku because Otaku 1 does not like an anime that Otaku 2 likes. It's rude and childish.
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