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by escherplex 2640 days ago
It's interesting what the sense of a direct translation of hikikomori implies. Original form is (if you have the font)

引き子守

The first two characters imply someone who is dragged along and the second two refer to a nursemaid suggesting nursemaid-ing someone who doesn't want to be here. Not in defense of any such defeatist behavior but there is the question of how (and possibly why) would you impose measures to counteract that mindset if individuals and their support context are comfortable with it?

2 comments

The second half of the word (the "komori" part) is not written 子守 but rather 籠り, which means "to isolate oneself".

The 引き part is less "dragged along" in this context and more "pull away from," so the literal meaning is "to pull away from (society) and isolate oneself."

Side note: according to EDICT:

引きこもり [ひきこもり] (n) (1) shut-in, stay-at-home, hikikomori, people

引きずる [ひきずる] (v5r,vt) (1) to drag along, to pull, (2) to force someone along, (3) to prolong, to drag out, (4) to influence strongly, to seduce, (P)

子守 [こもり] (n,vs) (1) nursemaid, nanny, babysitter, (2) child-minding

But starting from [ひきこもり] ambiguities are possible.