Translation guide
A theatrical performance using puppets, common in traditional and modern Japanese culture.
A performance where puppets are manipulated for an audience, in any style.
The most common and general term for any puppet show or puppet theater.
Specifically referring to the classical Japanese puppet theater known as Bunraku, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Describing a situation where someone is controlled by others, like a puppet.
Literally 'like a marionette', used to describe someone being manipulated.
彼は社長の操り人形のようなものだ。
He is like a puppet of the company president.
Use 人形劇 for general puppet shows, including Western-style or children's performances. Use 文楽 specifically for the traditional Japanese art form. If you're unsure, 人形劇 is safe in most contexts.
週末に子供と人形劇を見に行った。
I went to see a puppet show with my child on the weekend.
A slightly more traditional or literary term for puppet theater, often used for classical forms.
この地域では古くから人形芝居が行われている。
Puppet shows have been performed in this region since ancient times.
The formal name for traditional Japanese puppet theater, featuring large puppets, shamisen music, and narration.
大阪で文楽を鑑賞するのは素晴らしい経験だった。
Watching Bunraku in Osaka was a wonderful experience.
The older, more technical term for Bunraku, emphasizing the narrative chanting (joruri) aspect.
人形浄瑠璃は江戸時代に発展した芸能です。
Ningyo joruri is a performing art that developed in the Edo period.
A literary or formal term for a puppet, often used metaphorically for a figurehead.
その政権は単なる傀儡に過ぎない。
That regime is nothing more than a puppet.