Nerd is either ガリ勉(くん) or オバケ / おばけ?


In the anime adaptation of the manga [The Quintessential
Quintuplets](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/93612/the-
quintessential-quintuplets-
aka-%e4%ba%94%e7%ad%89%e5%88%86%e3%81%ae%e8%8a%b1%e5%ab%81-is-%e5%b1%8a%e3%81%8f%e3%82%93%e3%81%a7%e3%81%99-it-
reaches-a-mondegreen), as well as the corresponding manga, there are 2 terms
'nerd' was used but in the English dub.

# Scene 1: S01E01

In the dub, 1 of the quints Ichika says to the male protagonist Fuutarou (same
year) 'That was so manly, for a nerd.'

In the original for both the anime and manga, Ichika says
'ガリ勉くんのくせに男らしいこと言うじゃん'. (You can see [here 0:20 -
0:25](https://youtu.be/Ntrlo2EXuuM?t=20).)

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGE2q.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGE2q.jpg)

I'm guessing the 'nerd' here is
'[ガリ勉](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%82%AC%E3%83%AA%E5%8B%89)(くん)' which
in some anime subtitles is translated to 'studyholic'.

# Scene 2: S01E08

Re the siblings [Fuutarou and
Raiha](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66730/are-the-uesugi-
siblings-f%C5%ABtar%C5%8D-and-raiha-named-after-the-japanese-gods-of-wind),
Raiha (who is younger, if relevant) asks their dad if Fuutarou was not always
a...

Anime Subtitles: ... a 'study freak'.

Manga English: ... a 'study monster'.

In the original for both the anime and manga, Raiha asks '前はこんな勉強オバケじゃなかったの?'
(You can see [1:57 - 2:02 here](https://youtu.be/W7BYQZ4Cy3Q?t=117).)

  * Also, it might be [おばけ instead. See previous question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/96137/ghost-monster-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%90%E3%82%B1-vs-%E3%81%8A%E3%81%B0%E3%81%91-but-i-dont-see-the-emphasis).

> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tc0cW.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tc0cW.jpg)

In the anime dub, Raiha asks if 'there was a time when Fuutarou wasn't a huge
nerd' ?

I'm guessing the 'nerd' here is '勉強オバケ' (or [おばけ. see previous
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/96137/ghost-
monster-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%90%E3%82%B1-vs-%E3%81%8A%E3%81%B0%E3%81%91-but-i-dont-
see-the-emphasis)) which in some anime subtitles is translated to
'studyholic'.

**Questions:**

  1. What's the difference between ガリ勉(くん) and 勉強オバケ / 勉強おばけ ?

  2. Which is 'nerd' a fair translation of?

**Guesses:**

For 1:

[ガリ勉](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%82%AC%E3%83%AA%E5%8B%89)(くん) is, as
wiktionary says, 'someone who studies very hard', so you're like an above
average student, while 勉強オバケ is to the point of scaring people hence
'monster'/'ghost' or freaking them out hence 'freak'.

For 2:

I have a feeling ガリ勉 can be translated as 'nerd' depends on the context, much
like how 'OMG' can be used to express disgust or (positive) amazement
depending on the context.

I don't know about 勉強オバケ, but saying someone is a 'study freak' or 'study
ghost/monster' sounds stronger or even not really comparable than nerd. 'Nerd'
I think has a context of being too invested but not necessarily freaking
people out. On the other hand, being a freak or ghost/monster doesn't
necessarily mean 'too invested'. It could even be a compliment (or both a
compliment and an insult simultaneously?) like saying someone is a 'beast'.




ガリ勉 is a relatively old slang word that has been used since the mid-Showa era.
It refers to someone who studies very hard and pays little attention to other
things such as club activities and love. A ガリ勉 studies hard but their grades
are not necessarily good. It is usually associated with a negative
connotation. Both "nerd" and "book-smart" have slightly different meanings
from ガリ勉, but these can be possible translations as long as the translator
knows the character well and wants to emphasize the negative aspect of ガリ勉. A
stereotypical ガリ勉くん looks like [this](https://www.irasutoya.com/2017/04/blog-
post_437.html).

-おばけ in this context is a relatively new humorous suffix meaning "◯◯ monster", "Mr. ◯◯" or something. It can attach to many words (e.g., 体力おばけ is someone who is very tough physically, メンタルおばけ is someone who is very tough mentally, 野球おばけ is someone who is extremely good at baseball, etc). ◯◯おばけ tends to be used positively, but it may be used negatively. 勉強おばけ has little to do with nerd.




ガリ勉 is a relatively old slang word that has been used since the mid-Showa era.
It refers to someone who studies very hard and pays little attention to other
things such as club activities and love. A ガリ勉 studies hard but their grades
are not necessarily good. It is usually associated with a negative
connotation. Both "nerd" and "book-smart" have slightly different meanings
from ガリ勉, but these can be possible translations as long as the translator
knows the character well and wants to emphasize the negative aspect of ガリ勉. A
stereotypical ガリ勉くん looks like [this](https://www.irasutoya.com/2017/04/blog-
post_437.html).

-おばけ in this context is a relatively new humorous suffix meaning "◯◯ monster", "Mr. ◯◯" or something. It can attach to many words (e.g., 体力おばけ is someone who is very tough physically, メンタルおばけ is someone who is very tough mentally, 野球おばけ is someone who is extremely good at baseball, etc). ◯◯おばけ tends to be used positively, but it may be used negatively. 勉強おばけ has little to do with nerd.

