Translation guide
A playful trick or mischievous act, often meant to surprise or amuse. In Japanese, the most common word is いたずら, but other expressions exist for specific types of pranks.
To describe a light-hearted, often harmless trick or mischievous act.
The most common and versatile word for a prank or mischief. Can be used as a noun or a する-verb (いたずらする). Often implies childish or playful behavior.
The children played a prank and surprised the teacher.
Kanji form of いたずら. Less common in everyday writing but seen in literature or formal contexts. Same meaning and usage.
Literally 'mischievous heart', meaning a playful or prankish impulse. Used when someone feels like doing a prank.
To describe a more elaborate prank, often involving deception or setup, like a hidden camera prank or a fake announcement.
To describe a prank done over the phone, like making a fake call or saying something silly.
To express the action of pulling a prank on a specific person.
The most common pattern: 'play a prank on ~'. Replace 〜 with the target person.
いたずら is a general term for any playful mischief, often small-scale and spontaneous. ドッキリ implies a planned, surprising prank, often with an element of performance or recording, like a hidden camera stunt. Use いたずら for everyday mischief and ドッキリ for TV-style pranks.
He played a prank during class.
He often plays pranks on his younger sister.
悪戯好きな子猫が部屋中を走り回っている。
A mischievous kitten is running around the room.
I felt mischievous and hid my friend's shoes.
Refers to a surprise prank, often staged and recorded, like those on TV shows. Can be used as a noun or with する. Very common in media and everyday conversation.
Yesterday's prank show was really funny.
When I pulled a prank on my friend, they were really surprised.
Means 'mischief' or 'prank' with a nuance of going too far or being mean-spirited. Often used when a prank causes trouble or is not just innocent fun.
His prank ruined the party.
Generally means 'joke', but can be used for a prank when it's verbal or a playful lie. Not for physical pranks.
As a prank, I said 'I won the lottery,' and everyone believed it.
Literally 'prank call'. The standard term for a phone prank, whether it's a silly call or a more malicious one.
I was troubled by a prank call in the middle of the night.
A phone prank that is part of a ドッキリ setup, often recorded for entertainment. Implies a more elaborate surprise.
The segment where they make prank calls to celebrities is popular.
I played a prank on my little brother and made him cry.
Means 'to set up a prank on ~'. Used for more planned, surprise pranks. 仕掛ける means 'to set up' or 'to pull'.
I hid in the room to pull a prank on my friend.
誕生日にドッキリを仕掛けられた。
I was pranked on my birthday (with a surprise setup).
There is no direct one-to-one translation for 'prank' that covers all contexts. Using プランク is not natural. Choose the appropriate Japanese word based on the type of prank.