weeaboo
noun
a person obsessed with Japanese culture and anime
What does _weeaboo _ mean?
Weeaboo (or weeb) is a usually derogatory word for a non-Japanese person (often a Westerner) who is obsessed with Japanese culture, anime, and video games to an excessive, annoying, or even microaggressive degree.
Examples of _ weeaboo_
Everyone has met a stereotypical weeaboo (weeb) at some point in their life. Whether in passing during school, at an anime convention, or even out in the wild, these kinds of fans take their enthusiasm for Japanese culture a bit too far.
—Sarah Martin, Comic Book Resource, 5 Mar. 2026
The middle school treats Ume like the Tamagotchi she carries: exotic, adorable, and not really alive. Oh, and Mr. O is a weeb, so that’s not great.
—Whether you’re a “weeb” or someone who adores a good, gritty crime show, Black Lagoon is worth the ride.
—So often a weeaboo will profess that Japan is the only place on earth that makes sense and they wish they were born there or want to move there and renounce their citizenship and become Japanese.
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Where does weeaboo come from?
Weeaboo first appeared in 2005 as a nonsense word in Nicholas Gurewitch’s Perry Bible Fellowship comic strip. It is thought to have gained its present meaning shortly after this when it was used in the online forum 4chan in lieu of another, more offensive, term covering similar semantic terrain.
How is weeaboo used?
The term is usually used disparagingly, especially to call out or mock people whose obsession seems like a fetish and borders on cultural appropriation (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultural%20appropriation). However, weeb can also be a neutral, humorous, or affectionate way to refer to, or self-identify as, an anime nerd.
[Zac] Efron’s childhood anime included classics like Dragon Ball and Digimon, and he's been termed a weeb by anime fans due to his prolonged interest in the medium.
—“I’ve been cosplaying for about nine years, and weirdly, I’ve never done a Marvel hero. I’ve always done anime. I’m such a weeb. I got into cosplay because of Pokémon.”
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