Translation guide
Expressing the concept of role-play in Japanese, covering educational, therapeutic, and entertainment contexts.
ロールプレイ
role-play (activity)
Referring to the act of role-playing, such as in training, therapy, or games.
The most common and direct loanword for 'role-play', used in educational, corporate training, and casual contexts.
今日の研修ではロールプレイをします。
We'll do role-play in today's training.
A more formal, native Japanese term often used in psychology, education, and professional settings.
役割演技を通してコミュニケーション能力を高める。
Improve communication skills through role-play.
Abbreviation of ロールプレイ, used in very casual or insider contexts like gaming or informal training.
今日のロープレ、難しかったね。
Today's role-play was tough, huh?
Describing the action of engaging in role-play.
The standard way to say 'to do role-play' using the loanword with する.
面接の練習でロールプレイをした。
We did role-play for interview practice.
Literally 'to perform a role', used in more formal or theatrical contexts.
生徒たちは歴史上の人物の役割を演じた。
The students role-played historical figures.
Referring to the genre of games where players assume roles.
The full loanword for 'role-playing game', commonly abbreviated as RPG.
このロールプレイングゲームはストーリーが深い。
This role-playing game has a deep story.
The standard abbreviation, pronounced as English letters. Very common in gaming contexts.
最近のRPGはグラフィックがすごい。
Recent RPGs have amazing graphics.
ロールプレイ is widely understood and used in everyday conversation, business, and education. 役割演技 is more formal and often appears in academic or psychological contexts. For most learners, ロールプレイ is the safer choice.
研修でロールプレイを行います。
We will conduct role-play in the training.