A newly-coined Japanese verb – Obamu (“to Obama”)

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

This is blog cat-nip. There seem to be dozens of blog links to the original already. I cited the NYT blog where I first ran into it.

No mention of whether there is a Japanese verb "Goreu" meaning to embrace inconvenient truths.

A newly-coined Japanese verb – “to Obama” – which means to persevere with optimism, ignoring all obstacles.

Writing on his blog, Ampontan, Bill Sakovich revealed that a new word – Obamu – is catching on among Japan’s youth. Sakovich credited the Japanese Teachers’ Network in Kitakyushu for the following definition:

Obamu: (v.) To ignore inexpedient and inconvenient facts or realities, think “Yes we can, Yes we can,” and proceed with optimism using those facts as an inspiration (literally, as fuel). It is used to elicit success in a personal endeavor. One explanation holds that it is the opposite of "kobamu" (which means to refuse, reject, or oppose)

One more Japanese-language citation is from a Twitter tweet, which defines it simply as believing you can accomplish something. …

It remains to be seen whether this word is capable of hitoriaruki (literally, walking alone, or becoming independently viable), and whether the tweety Pollyanna definition or the more pointed Kitakyushu definition become the standard.

But considering the nature of the Internet and the Japanese love of wordplay and new coinages, it shouldn’t be long before we find out.


http://schott.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/obamu/

[Sukie]

1. Cool! But leave to a repub to get it all wrong.

Being of Japanese heritage, the new verb is meant as a compliment to our president, yet at the site below, you have someone who considers it unflattering. Sometimes you have to wonder if these people can understand their own language, let alone a foreign one.


http://langwiseman.blogspot.com/2009/10/obamathe-verb-aka-presidents-latest.html#comment-form

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. I take it as ambiguous

Positive, but with a comic edge that assumes some exaggeration of optimism.

Given the Japanese fondness for sardonic/ironic idiom I would be surprised if the word is not being used variously as a simple positive or with some world-weary nuance.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Well, *I* have a word.....

... "Obamariffic" which means "awesomely cool in a way that pisses off a freeper."