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.
彼は首相の物真似が上手だ。
He is good at impersonating the prime minister.
Refers specifically to mimicking someone's physical appearance, gestures, or posture, often used in comedy acts.
彼の形態模写はまるで本人のようだ。
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.
友達が先生の真似をして笑わせた。
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.
SNSで有名人になりすます人がいる。
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.
A formal verb meaning 'to dress up as' or 'to play the role of', used in theater and film.
彼は映画で老人に扮した。
He impersonated an old man in the movie.
A general verb for 'to perform' or 'to act', which can imply impersonation when playing a specific role.
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).
警察官を騙って電話をかける詐欺が増えている。
Scams involving impersonating police officers over the phone are increasing.
A noun meaning 'fake police officer', used to describe someone impersonating an officer.
偽警官に注意してください。
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.
彼は物真似芸人だ。
He is an impersonation comedian.
なりすまし被害が増えている。
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.