How to Learn Anime Lingo

Anime fans speak their own language. This phrase book will help you find a bathroom in Otakuland.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Watch anime. Anime means literally, "Japanese animation," characterized by mouth, hair and eye construction and movement. While most anime you have access to is in English, you might catch a few words in there. It also helps to understand what is going on that world anyway.

2. Familiarize yourself with basic Japanese. For instance, "hai" means "yes." This is actual Japanese, but true for anime, as well. you'll notice plenty of overlap, even if some of the anime lingo is slang.

3. Take note of words important to the general anime themes. These are words and phrases that find consistency across the anime genre. "Chi," "ki" or "qi" means life force or spiritual energy. Very spiritual in nature, anime utilizes this theme often. H-anime and ecchi is important to note if you're monitoring a child's viewing. H-anime is adult anime, while ecchi signifies "sexual but non-pornographic anime or manga." (Manga is Japanese comic books and/or graphic novels.)

Tips & Warnings

• Taking a basic Japanese language course will help you pronounce Japanese loanwords.

• Fan culture dialects evolve rapidly. Hang out with other fans to keep up with the latest terminology.

• The otaku lexicon contains Japanese words that don't have the same meaning in Japan. For instance, "otaku" itself can have a positive or negative connotation among Western anime fans, like nerd or geek, but it has a mostly negative meaning in Japan, referring to someone who has an unhealthy hobby obsession.

• Knowing the lingo is no substitute for knowing the material - watch anime.