As everybody knows, nowadays, the teenagers like to use a term, Zhai Nan. Although in news, there are several events will be involved the word, even it has no connection with Zhai Nan. Therefore, I start to wonder if people indeed know what the Zhai Nan means in the word’s original place?

Actually, the term, Zhai Nan, is spread from Japan. The Japanese call Zhai Nan as Otaku. They consider that Otaku is a group of people who have high interests in particular things and have excellent knowledge of those. Because people begin to respect others’ interests and characters, they have no discrimination in the word. For example, a boy, in my class, likes something about military and studies the related knowledge by himself. Once, to our surprise, he even can discuss the firearms, tanks and ammunitions with our military training teacher in the class. Therefore, he can be called Military Otaku, without any bad meanings.

Afterwards, when the term, Otaku, spreads to Taiwan, it is translated into Yu Zhai Zu. However, one of the words, Zhai, means “house” in Chinese. Therefore, those boys, who always stay at home and spend lots of time in playing the online game or watching animations, will be called Zhai Nan. Nevertheless, one of Taiwanese News even misuses the term abroad to describe a postgraduate as a Zhai Nan. It is just because he has to use computer to write his theory all day, and seldom go outdoor.

Moreover, as time passes, the word, Zhai Nan, develops several ways to use in Taiwan. If some people who do not go outside on the weekends, we will describe them Zhai. Sometimes, they also say” I am so Zhai,” to laugh at themselves. In addition, sometimes girls will call themselves Zhai Nu as well. Therefore, close friends call each other Zhai Nan or Zhai Nu may be a joke and do not have any bad meanings. But if an unfamiliar person calls others “Zhai”, perhaps he or she will think that the person looks down at him or her. It is easy to cause a quarrel.

According to a magazine, EZ Japan, reported that Zhai Nan is not a negative term. It is a most significant term in the current Japan. It also has actively appraisals. Although Otaku is not the mainstream culture, it has a great economic benefits and the market is really huge.

However, in Taiwan, some people still think that Zhai Nan has bad meanings. They consider Zhai Nan as idle people. Many Taiwanese still think that Zhai Nan stays at home all day to play online games, watches animations and reads the comic books. A famous singer even composes a song to describe the image of Zhai Nan in Taiwanese eyes. In that song, Zhai Nan is described as dirty, far away from fashion and acts like a fool. Yet, Zhai Nan‘s image is not so negative. They act like “normal people” not “strong people.” So, in my class, some classmates regard the lyrics as a kind of insult to Zhai Nan.

In my eyes, Zhai Nan is not an absolute bad word. I think that I will depend on what situation the word is used in. The original meaning of Zhai Nan is good. What’s more, some people just make a joke to use this word, so I will not get angry if my friends say the word to me. But if some people who I am not familiar say the word to me, I will make sure what his or her true meanings are. Sometimes, I also tell somebody” Zhai”, but I have no bad intention. People who are called “Zhai” by me also know that. So they never get angry and “laugh at” me by the same ways.

There are various terms in Taiwan which are spread from Japan. Yet, the meanings have always been changed. News misuses these words. The wrong information spreads on the Internet. Those are the main ways why people misunderstand new terms and have bad impression. It is important for people to understand a new term and then they can use the word correctly. Otherwise, more misunderstandings will bring about more altercations. Those new terms and the subculture will be hard to be accepted by most people, just like Zhai Nan.