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舞台 (ぶたい, butai) Japanese meaning: stage | Kotomora
じ 字 Furigana
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. stage; platform 2. stage performance; theatrical production; play; show 3. setting; scene 4. sphere; arena; stage; world Report an issue with this page
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The actor went up on the stage.
Singing on stage makes me nervous.
Usage patterns 舞ぶ 台たい に 上あ がる to go up onto the stage
When the lead actor stepped onto the stage, the audience fell silent.
舞ぶ 台たい を 踏ふ む to perform on stage (esp. after a break)
He was to perform on stage for the first time in ten years.
〈 人ひと 〉 が 舞ぶ 台たい で 主しゅ 役やく を 務つと める for someone to play the lead role in a stage production
She plays the lead role in the stage production.
〈 場所ばしょ〉 〉 を 舞台ぶたい にした 〈 物語ものがたり〉 〉 a story set in a particular place
〈 事こと 〉 の 舞ぶ 台たい となる to become the arena or venue for an event
This city became the venue for the international conference.
舞ぶ 台たい を 降お りる to step down from the stage; to retire from performing
He finished his final performance and left the stage.
Expressions 世せ 界かい を 舞ぶ 台たい に globally; on the global stage; on a worldwide level Kanji 台 pedestal, a stand, counter for machines and vehicles Related words· 6 ステージ is a loanword often used for a physical stage or a phase, while 舞台 carries a stronger theatrical or metaphorical nuance.
場面 refers to a specific scene within a story or event, while 舞台 can mean the overall setting or the stage itself.
芝居 refers to a play or theatrical performance itself, while 舞台 more broadly covers the physical stage as well as the production performed on it.
背景 means the background or backdrop of a story, while 舞台 specifically names the place or era in which the story unfolds.
Show 2 more 舞台 literally means 'stage' and figuratively an arena for action, while 土俵 keeps a competitive, adversarial nuance when used metaphorically for a forum.
舞台 is a general word for a stage used for performances, while 壇上 specifically denotes a raised platform used for speeches or ceremonies.
Don't confuse with· 6 劇場 is the theatre building itself, whereas 舞台 refers to the stage inside it or to the performance taking place there.
土台 means the foundation or basis of something, while 舞台 means a stage or setting for a performance; they share the kanji 台 but are otherwise unrelated in meaning.
舞台 means 'stage' (the platform for performance) while 舞踏 means 'dance'; the two share the kanji 舞 and a similar sound, which can trip up learners.
Word family· 37 backstage; behind the scenes
stage play; theatrical play
debut; first stage appearance
Etymology Compound of 舞 (bu, 'dance') and 台 (tai, 'platform'). The word originally referred to a platform for dance performances and later broadened to theatrical and metaphorical stages.
This film is a story set in Kyoto during the Edo period.
Show 3 more 舞台 refers only to the stage where a performance takes place, whereas 芝居小屋 refers to the entire building housing the stage and audience.
部隊 (troop unit) and 舞台 (stage, as in theater) are pronounced identically but are completely unrelated in meaning and written with different kanji.
番台 is the raised booth where a bathhouse attendant sits and collects fees, while 舞台 is a stage for theatrical performances; they share the kanji 台 but are otherwise unrelated in meaning.
large stage; grand stage · the big stage; grand setting
Show 7 more main stage; public arena
stage made of Japanese cypress · the limelight; the big stage; the big time
noh stage
stage performer; theatre person
stage adaptation; theatrical adaptation
wings of a stage; side stage; coulisse
front stage; center stage; public eye