FLIP Guide
FLIP © COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FLIP GuideFLIP Guide

  • Start here!
  • Your local friends
    • Facebook Community
    • Friends
    • Let’s talk!
  • Our Services
    • FLIP Starter Pack
    • FLIP Tours
    • Japan Travel Assistant
    • Move to Japan Assistant
  • Explore Japan Nightlife
  • Blogs
  • Account
    • Login
    • Register

The Weeaboo Checklist: What is a Weeaboo?

Tuesday, 26 May 2020 / Published in Blogs, Lost in translation
Weeboo otaku Japanophilethe weeaboo checklist purple landscape

Unless you’re familiar with Japanese pop culture in Japan, you may not know the terms ‘weeaboo’ or ‘otaku’, or maybe you have heard of them but are unsure what they are or how they’re different. Or maybe you’ve lumped them in the same category as Japanophiles? To be fair, the definitions for ‘weeaboo’, ‘otaku’ and ‘Japanophile’ may differ depending on who you ask, but here are the general definitions. 

Content

  • The definitions
    • Weeaboo
    • Otaku
    • Japanophile 
    • In summary
  • Do people like weeaboos?
  • Weeaboo Checklist
  • Oh no, I’m a weeaboo! What do I do?!
  • Belle Sim

The definitions

Weeboo otaku Japanophile
Credit: Reddit

Weeaboo

This is the obnoxiously and overly enthusiastic fan of Japan and Japanese culture. Despite their passion/obsession, they are often grossly misinformed and yet believe their authority on all things Japanese to be absolute. The extent of their knowledge on Japan and Japanese culture is often from Japanese anime, manga or video games, which are not necessarily a reflection of reality. Later on in this blog article, I will include a weeaboo checklist with some of the typical characteristics of weeaboos.

Otaku

These days, the word ‘otaku’ is understood as ‘geek’ or ‘nerd’. Weeaboos and otakus are sometimes mixed up because of their shared roots in Japanese pop culture, namely anime, manga and video games. However, unlike weeaboos, otakus are not necessarily fans of Japan or Japanese culture specifically, but fans of the aforementioned products. They consume pop culture media on a daily basis and may visit various cosplay or anime conventions. 

Japanophile 

The Japanophile is a person who is interested in learning about customs, traditions, the society and history of Japan. These are the ones who watch various documentaries about different aspects of Japan, and they might have taken several classes on Japanese history or culture, and to some extent they understand what Japan is actually like. Unlike weeaboos, their interest in Japan and Japanese culture is less intense and obsessive and more curious and inquisitive. 

In summary

Credit: Narvii

To summarise:

A weeaboo is someone who’s obnoxiously and overly enthusiastic but also often grossly misinformed about Japan or Japanese culture. 

An otaku is a geek or nerd about Japanese anime, manga and video games. 

A Japanophile is interested in learning about or studying various aspects of Japan.

Do people like weeaboos?

the weeaboo checklist

The short (and only) answer: no. 

As mentioned above, most weeaboos get their information about Japan through anime, manga and video games. And, while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these products, weeaboos insist that those products accurately portray Japan, which they don’t. Japan, Japanese culture and Japanese society is a lot more complex, varied and bountiful than what’s presented in pop culture products. 

Perhaps foreign residents in Japan are the most frustrated by weeaboos who believe they know more about Japanese culture than the residents do, despite having never visited or lived in Japan. When corrected, weeaboos tend to become defensive and they insist they are not wrong because “they saw it in an anime.” Instead of owning up to mistakes and learning about the country they claim to love, they try to put Japan, Japanese culture and Japanese society into a box made from the materials of anime, manga and video games. 

Weeaboo Checklist

The following are some of the characteristics of some weeaboos. 

  1. They give themselves Japanese names just for the sake of it.
  2. They try to interject Japanese words into sentences, even when speaking to a non-Japanese speaker. 
  3. They dress like their favourite anime characters.
  4. They think Japan does everything better than the rest of the world. 
  5. They believe all Japanese people watch and read anime and manga. 
  6. If there’s a Japanese person in their community, they want to be their best friend over  everyone else. 
  7. They believe they know more about Japan than anyone else.
  8. They watch, read and play anime, manga and video games on a regular basis. 
  9. Their Japanese language skills are limited to language from anime, manga and video games. 
  10. They’ve never been to Japan, or at least not enough times to halt their delusions about Japan. 
  11. They listen only to Japanese music, most likely the opening or ending theme songs of anime series. 
  12. They’re known as the Japanese kid in their community or social circles. 
  13. They want to be Japanese. 

These are just a few characteristics, and I know I’ve missed out a bunch. Feel free to add on to the list in the comments!

Oh no, I’m a weeaboo! What do I do?!

You’ve just taken the first step of acknowledging it, congratulations! If you don’t want to be an obnoxious weeaboo, then consider the following. 

Be open-minded. Understand that whatever you know about Japan may be wrong, and if you are corrected by others, take it in stride. There’s no shame or embarrassment in being wrong, only in refusing to learn. 

Study. While anime, manga and video games are fun, Japan and Japanese culture extends far beyond that. Read a book, watch a documentary, check out some YouTubers who live in Japan and who can give you firsthand accounts of the society and country. Just consume a product that includes real Japanese people and not just characters.

Visit Japan. You’ll see that not a lot of people are in cosplay outfits and not everyone is kawaii. Hello Kitty isn’t everywhere and sakura trees aren’t always in bloom. Japan is not an anime, and you’ll probably appreciate it even more because it’s not. 

Having lived in Japan for almost four years now, I can tell you that Japan can be beautiful and awesome like in pop culture media, but it can also be ugly and frustrating as reality tends to be. But, recognising the latter does not eradicate the former, and I still want to continue living here. 

Japan isn’t an anime, and thank goodness for that. 

Belle Sim

Content Creator and Editor

Belle moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2016. She has studied various aspects of Japan including history, literature, gender, culture, media, politics, and more. Find her on Instagram @coinlockerbelle.

    What you can read next

    Smiling in Mcdoanld's in Japan
    Are the Japanese two-faced? Navigating honne and tatemae
    Japan streets working hours in Japanese companies
    Step By Step Guide On How You Can Move To Japan
    Japan’s Problem with Paris, the Paris Syndrome

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published.

    Get your free gifts!

    Recent Posts

    • Earthquakes in Japan: Resources and How to Prepare for the “Big One”

    • Are the Japanese two-faced? Navigating honne and tatemae

    • Robot smile syndrome in Japan

      Japan’s Smile Mask Syndrome and omotenashi

    • Japanese-pod-101

      JapanesePod101 Review on this Japanese learning platform

    • Preply review Japanese language

      Preply review: Honest review on this Japanese language platform

    Get in touch with us

    If you have any questions or any help, feel free to reach out to us, we would love to hear from you!

    Chat with us

    Get FLIP Now!

    Tokyo Nightlife Guide

    App Store
    Google Play
    FLIP Guide Mobile App
    FLIP GUIDE

    FLIP Japan Guide is your local friend, here to help you with your Japan Travel, Move to Japan, Japanese language and Japanese culture.

    Navigation

    • About Us
    • Places
    • Blogs
    • Community
    • Facebook Comunity
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
    • Contact Us
    • Terms and Conditions

    Top Posts

    • Japan’s Problem with Paris, the Paris Syndrome
    • 7 rules of what NOT to do on the Tokyo subway
    • My “Terrace House” Story, what It’s Like Living in a Share house in Tokyo
    • 10 common mistakes people make when studying Japanese
    • Solo Travel Tips in Japan by Tokyo local
    • Everything you need to know before a night out in Tokyo
    • 8 Unique Japanese Gifts, the perfect last-minute presents to get online
    • Corporate Life in Japan: The Everyday Grind of Working in Japan
    • Japan and the beauty of WALKING, Explore through walking in Japan

    COPYRIGHT © 2021 FLIP GUIDE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    TOP
    fb-share-icon
    Follow Me
    Tweet

    Login

    Sign in to your account
    • connect with Facebook
    or
    Create New Account
    Lost password?