Translation guide
A mascot is a person, animal, or object believed to bring good luck, or one that represents a group, brand, or event. Japanese uses different words depending on whether it's a lucky charm, a character representing a place or company, or a costumed character.
A small object or animal kept to bring good luck
General term for a lucky charm or amulet, often bought at shrines. Can be used for personal mascots.
This lucky charm was given to me by my grandmother.
An object believed to bring good luck, often used for traditional items like daruma dolls or maneki-neko.
Borrowed from English, used in casual contexts like horoscopes or personal lucky items.
Today's lucky item is red socks.
A designed character that symbolizes a company, team, or event
Direct loanword from English, widely used for brand or event characters.
This company's mascot is a dog character.
A 'laid-back character' often used for regional promotion. Implies a cute, slightly amateurish design.
General term for a character, often used for mascots in a broader sense.
A person wearing a character costume to entertain or promote
Refers to the full-body costume itself, but often used to mean the performer inside. Common at theme parks and events.
The person inside the mascot costume looks very hot.
Can also refer to the costumed character itself, especially in sports or promotional contexts.
マスコット is a general term for any mascot character, while ゆるキャラ specifically refers to cute, often regionally-themed characters with a relaxed, approachable vibe. ゆるキャラ are usually associated with local government or small businesses.
The Tokyo Olympics mascot is Miraitowa.
Funassyi is a mascot character from Chiba Prefecture.
While マスコット can mean a mascot character, it is not used for personal lucky charms or amulets. Use お守り or 縁起物 instead.
The beckoning cat is a lucky charm for business prosperity.
Kumamon is Kumamoto Prefecture's mascot character.
This shop's character is very popular.
Before the game, the mascot performed a dance.