7 things you need to know to enjoy Japanese VTuber streaming (Not 7 Yet)

This article is a compilation of trivia for overseas VTuber fans to know in order to enjoy Japanese VTuber’s Streaming. This article is written in English only. No Japanese version is available. This article may or may not be updated in the future.

1: “Kushami Tasukaru.” does not mean the same thing as “Bless you.”

When a VTuber sneezes without muting in his/her streaming, the comment “Kushami Tasukaru(くしゃみ助かる、Your sneeze helps me.)” may be seen.

In the West, it is customary to say “(God) Bless You” when someone sneezes, and “Kushami Tasukaru” is uttered in the same situation, leading to the misunderstanding that “Bless You” and “Kushami Tasukaru” mean the same or similar things, but they are two very different things.

Since “Kushami Tasukaru” has a somewhat vulgar meaning of “I am excited to hear you sneeze”, you should be careful not to use it in the same sense as “Bless You” IRL, since it can get you into trouble.

In addition, the following article is excellent in its discussion of “Kushami Tasukaru”. (written in Japanese)

2: “Sensitive” is the same meaning as “lewd” in the JP VTuber community, and the reason why

When Japanese VTubers say “sensitive” in their streaming, most of the time they mean “lewd”.

There is a theory that the reason for this is related to Twitter’s warning messages. Twitter is a popular social media in Japan, not only among VTubers and their fans. Most of the content judged as “sensitive” on the Japanese Twitter scene are lewd illustrations and photos, and thus the image of “sensitive” = “lewd” has taken root in Japan.

There is also a theory that Japanese people confuse “sensitive” and “sensual” because many of them are not good at English.

Incidentally, the three really sensitive topics in the Japanese entertainment scene are politics, religion, and baseball.

3: The reason why “laugh” is written as “w” or “kusa” in Japanese

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4: There is a difference between a “Kashu” and a “Utaite” (Both are translated as “singer” in English)

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5: (Not yet)

6: (Not yet)

7: (Not yet)