Translation guide
How to express the act of pretending to be someone else, whether for entertainment, fraud, or other purposes.
To imitate or mimic a famous person or someone you know for fun or performance.
The most common word for impersonation as entertainment, especially mimicking voices or mannerisms of celebrities.
He is good at impersonating the prime minister.
Refers specifically to mimicking someone's physical appearance, gestures, or posture, often used in comedy acts.
His physical impersonation is just like the real person.
A general phrase meaning 'to imitate' or 'to mimic', which can be used for impersonation in casual contexts.
My friend impersonated the teacher and made us laugh.
To pretend to be someone else in order to deceive, often for illegal purposes.
The standard term for online or identity fraud impersonation, such as creating a fake account.
There are people who impersonate celebrities on social media.
A formal term for misrepresenting one's identity or qualifications, often used in legal contexts.
A verb meaning 'to falsify' or 'to pretend', used for impersonation when someone lies about their identity.
To portray a character or another person in a play, film, or other performance.
To pretend to be a police officer or other official, often for criminal purposes.
A common phrase meaning 'to impersonate a police officer', using the verb 騙る (to fraudulently claim).
Scams involving impersonating police officers over the phone are increasing.
A noun meaning 'fake police officer', used to describe someone impersonating an officer.
Beware of people impersonating police officers.
物真似 is for entertainment and mimicry, while なりすまし is for fraudulent impersonation, especially online. Using 物真似 for fraud would sound odd.
He is an impersonation comedian.
Impersonation fraud cases are increasing.
The English word 'impersonation' does not have a single direct equivalent in Japanese. The appropriate term depends heavily on context (entertainment, fraud, acting). Avoid using a single word for all situations.
He was practicing medicine by impersonating a doctor.
身分を偽って入国した。
He entered the country by impersonating someone else.
彼女は舞台で歴史上の人物を演じた。
She impersonated a historical figure on stage.