Where does “otaku” come from?

otaku (Italian) comes from Japanese オタク, from Japanese お宅, from Japanese 御, from Middle Chinese 御.

otaku (Italian): otaku one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga

Definitions

  1. otaku one with an obsessive interest in something such as anime or manga

Ancestry of “otaku”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseオタクgeek, nerd; one who is obsessed with something to...
2Japaneseお宅your home; you; geek
3Japanese"indicates that the is honorific"; often used to...
4Middle Chinese
Every word from Middle Chinese Every word from Japanese Every word from Japanese お宅
otaku — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer