Since this was being discussed in another thread where it was totally off-topic, I think it's time for it to have its own thread. Here we discuss the word "hentai" (and "ecchi"), and the difference in meaning between the original Japanese words and the English usage of them.

>>25
lol: "Japanese slang エッチ (H, etchi, often spelled ecchi by non-Japanese)". Bull.
エッチ IS "ecchi". E + C + CHI.
Yeah ッ is a small ツ(tsu), but here the kana that is extended is チ(chi).
My Japanese romanizer program (Kakasi) agrees.
My JDIC_R (Japanese-English Dictionary System) agrees. Plus, no entry for "etchi" in JDIC_R.
My Windows input system agrees. To input "etchi" gives エｔチ, which is wrong.

[continued]
"Exactly how the term hentai came to refer to all sexually explicit content in American anime fandom is unknown."
Duh, in every anime where the male character stumbles upon the half naked girl, he gets told by the girl he's a hentai. It happened in old games, it happened in "Love Hina", it happens in the latest anime "Amaenaideyo".
Anyone listening to the thing without knowing Japanese will conclude that hentai means a "sexually oriented and unwanted behavior by the male protagonist, despite indicators that the girl is actually interested in him, so basically she's telling him she wants a more smooth approach before she surrenders her goodies". In short, sex stuff.

So who am I to believe? Those proclaimed (male?) Japanese language experts who claim that hentai is a horrible, horrible term that no one has the right to use, or plain evidence from countless anime and games?

One more thing: I was told that in Japanese the meaning of the words depend upon the intonation and the context. You can say "you" as a term of endearment, as a neutral term, as a polite word, and as a horrible insult. It all depends on the tone/context. I don't recall examples off-hand right now, but I believe I have seen mangas with "hentai" being used as a term of endearment as well.