Translation guide
A puppet controlled from above by strings. In Japanese, the most common term is 操り人形, but related words like マリオネット and パペット are also used. This guide helps you choose the right word depending on context.
A puppet manipulated by strings, typically in theater or performance.
A person who is manipulated or controlled by someone else, like a puppet.
Common phrase meaning 'to be moved like a marionette'. Used to describe someone under another's control.
彼は上司の操り人形のように動かされている。
He is being manipulated like a marionette by his boss.
操り人形 specifically refers to string puppets (marionettes). パペット is a broader term for any hand puppet or doll manipulated directly. マリオネット is a loanword that can refer to marionettes but is less common in everyday Japanese.
Avoid directly translating 'marionette' as マリオネット in casual conversation; it may sound overly technical or foreign. Use 操り人形 for clarity.
The standard Japanese term for a marionette or string puppet. Literally 'manipulated doll'. Used in traditional and modern contexts.
彼は操り人形を上手に動かす。
He skillfully operates the marionette.
Loanword from English/French. Often used in artistic or Western puppet contexts. Less common in everyday speech.
その劇場ではマリオネットの公演が行われた。
A marionette performance was held at that theater.
A more descriptive term emphasizing 'string manipulation'. Rarely used; 操り人形 is preferred.
糸操り人形の仕組みを学ぶ。
Learn the mechanism of a string puppet.
Literary term for 'puppet' or 'marionette', often used figuratively for a person controlled by others. Can have negative connotations.
彼はただの傀儡に過ぎない。
He is nothing more than a puppet.
The loanword can also be used figuratively, but it's less common than 操り人形 in this sense.
彼女は政界のマリオネットだ。
She is a marionette of the political world.