weeb
A weeb is a non-Japanese person who is obsessed with Japanese pop culture, especially anime and manga, sometimes to the point of acting as if they were Japanese. It’s short for weeaboo and is usually a tease or an insult, though many fans now use it about themselves.
What makes someone a weeb
Liking anime doesn’t make you a weeb. The label is aimed at fans who go further: dropping Japanese words like “kawaii” and “baka” into English conversations, idealising Japan as perfect, or treating anime as the only thing worth talking about.
Among friends it’s often affectionate (“okay, weeb”), and plenty of fans proudly call themselves weebs. From a stranger, it’s usually meant to mock.
Examples
- “He watched three seasons in one weekend. Certified weeb.”
- “I’m a bit of a weeb, I’ll admit it.”
- “She said ‘arigato’ to the cashier at Starbucks. Weeb behaviour.”
- “Weeb or not, that show is genuinely good.”
Weeb vs. otaku
An otaku is anyone, anywhere, with an intense hobby, especially anime. Weeb specifically targets non-Japanese fans who over-identify with Japan.
Where weeb comes from
Merriam-Webster says “weeaboo” first appeared in 2005 as a nonsense word in Nicholas Gurewitch’s Perry Bible Fellowship comic. That same year, 4chan moderators set a word filter that automatically replaced “wapanese,” an earlier insult, with “weeaboo,” and users adopted the new word with the old meaning. “Weeb” is the shorter, more common form today.
Related terms
Explore more in our anime slang dictionary.
Example sentence
My cousin calls himself a weeb and decorates his room with anime posters.
Similar words
weeaboo, otaku
Notes
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