How to say 'Play' or 'Act' in Japanese | 芝居

Wondering how to say 'Play' or 'Act' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Play or Act is 'Shibai', written as 芝居 in Japanese.'Play' or 'Act' in hiragana is しばい.

word

芝居

Meaning

Play, Act

Reading

しばい

shibai

Kanji

芝Lawn, Turf 居Reside, Be

Explanation

The Japanese noun '芝居 (しばい)' primarily refers to a theatrical play or drama performed on stage. It can also mean 'acting' or 'pretending' in a broader sense, often used to describe someone's behavior when they are putting on an act or being insincere. For example: I watched a play at the theater「劇場で芝居を見た」(げきじょうでしばいをみた). He's just putting on an act「彼はただ芝居をしている」(かれはただしばいをしている). The word can also be used metaphorically to describe situations where someone is being dramatic or exaggerating their emotions.

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

4439

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 芝居

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

kanji

芝

Meaning

Lawn, Turf

kanji

居

Meaning

Reside, Be

Words Related to 芝居 Through the Kanji 芝

This Word contains the Kanji 芝 as well.

word

芝生

Meaning

Lawn

Words Related to 芝居 Through the Kanji 居

These 6 Words contain the Kanji 居 as well.

word

居る

Meaning

Exist

word

住居

Meaning

Residence

word

居住

Meaning

Residence

word

居眠り

Meaning

Doze

word

居間

Meaning

Living room

word

同居

Meaning

Cohabitation

Learn the Word 芝居

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What does 'Shibai' (芝居) mean?

'Shibai' means 'Play' or 'Act' .

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