Translation guide
The act of imitating someone or something, often for entertainment, camouflage, or learning. Japanese has distinct words for biological mimicry, vocal imitation, and playful copying.
When an animal or plant resembles another species or its surroundings for protection or predation.
The standard biological term for mimicry in nature, such as insects resembling leaves or harmless species imitating dangerous ones.
This moth mimics a dead leaf.
Copying someone's voice, speech patterns, or animal sounds, often for entertainment.
General term for vocal or behavioral imitation, especially as a performance. Can refer to impersonating celebrities or mimicking sounds.
He is good at doing impressions of celebrities.
A more technical term for vocal mimicry, literally 'vocal cord copy'. Often used in contexts of professional voice imitation.
Imitating someone's actions, gestures, or style, often in a teasing or humorous way.
The most common word for copying someone's behavior or actions. Can be neutral, playful, or mocking depending on context. Often used with する (to imitate).
My little brother is always imitating me.
She made the class laugh by mimicking the teacher.
Literally 'monkey imitation', meaning mindless or superficial copying without understanding. Often used negatively.
Deliberately copying a model to acquire a skill, such as language learning or martial arts.
Formal term for imitation, often used in educational, artistic, or technical contexts. Implies a conscious effort to replicate.
Children learn by imitating their parents' behavior.
In pronunciation practice, imitating native speakers is effective.
Learning by watching and imitating, without formal instruction. Literally 'look and imitate'.
真似 (まね) is the most general and casual term for imitating actions or behavior. 物真似 (ものまね) specifically refers to vocal or performance impressions. 模倣 (もほう) is formal and used for deliberate imitation in learning or art.
The English word 'mimicry' is often translated as 擬態 (ぎたい) in dictionaries, but this is primarily a biological term. For everyday imitation, use 真似 or 物真似 depending on context.
He did an imitation of a bird's call.
He made the audience laugh with his vocal mimicry act.
それはただの猿真似だ。
That's just mindless imitation.
I tried cooking by watching and imitating.