The following glossary of words and terms (generally of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

origin) are related to ''

owarai is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety shows ...

'' (Japanese comedy). Many of these terms may be used in areas of

Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ance ...

beyond comedy, including

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. Some have been incorporated into normal Japanese speech. __NOTOC__

Glossary

''bangumi''

:番組 (''bangumi''). The Japanese word for

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

''boke''

:ボケ (''boke''　). From the verb 惚ける or　呆ける, which carries the meaning of "senility" or "air headed-ness," and is reflected in a performer's tendency for misinterpretation and forgetfulness. The ''boke'' is the "simple-minded" member of an

kombi ('' "tsukkomi and boke", or vice versa'') that receives most of the verbal and physical abuse from the "smart"

tsukkomi The following glossary of words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) are related to ''owarai'' (Japanese comedy). Many of these terms may be used in areas of Japanese culture beyond comedy, including television and radio, music. Some have b ...

because of the boke's misunderstandings and slip-ups. The ''tsukkomi'' (突っ込み) refers to the role the second comedian plays in ''"butting in"'' and correcting the boke's errors. It is common for tsukkomi to berate boke and hit them on the head with a swift smack; traditionally, tsukkomi often carried a fan as a multi-purpose prop, one of the uses for which was to hit the boke with. ''Boke and tsukkomi'' are loosely equivalent to the roles of "funny man" or "comic" ''(boke)'' and "straight man" ''(tsukkomi)'' in the comedy duos of western culture. Outside of owarai, the term ''boke'' is sometimes used in common speech as an insult, similar to "idiot" in English, or baka in Japanese. :''Boke'' also refers to when a comedian or ''

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...

'' makes a joke or acts like a fool for comedic effect on television. ''Tsukkomi'' is also used in variety shows and regular television as a quick one-liner to address the situation or create comedic effects after someone does a ''boke''.

''conte''

:コント (''konto''). From the French word ''conte'', ''konto'' refers to the style of

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve aro ...

performance focusing on telling interesting tales, many of which, one must assume, are made up for the sake of humour. Also often called ''

konto'' (漫才コント). Short conte (ショートコント) are skits often less than 30 seconds long where the comedians act out some sort of odd encounter or conversation. :A ''conte'' usually uses props, backgrounds and settings such as costumes and location as opposed to Manzai. It is possible for any number of people to act in a ''conte'' while Manzai is traditionally done with two people, sometimes more than two but never by oneself.

corner

:コーナー (''kōnā''). Rarely taking the literal English meaning of the word "corner" as in "street corner" or "corner of a shape", this word is usually used in Japanese to mean "segment", as in "television segment".

dajare is a kind of comic Japanese word play, similar in spirit to a pun that relies on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple joke. ''Dajare'' are popular in advertising. ''Dajare'' are also associated with {{nihongo, ''oyaji'' ...

:ダジャレ (''dajare''). A type of Japanese

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonet ...

in which the similarities in sound of two different words or phrases are used in a joke.

dokkiri

:ドッキリ (''dokkiri''). Recently popularized in the west by shows such as ''

Punk'd ''Punk'd'' is an American hidden camera– practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both t ...

'', these hidden-camera surprise pranks have been very common on Japanese television since the 1990s. Traps such as pitfalls, falling objects, and seductive idols are often used. (ドッキリ芸人) are comedians that are known for their appearances on various ''dokkiri'' programs and are cast in this genre because of their notable reactions to being pranked. Some examples of are Tetsuro Degawa, Eiko Kano and Komiya (Sanshiro).

gag

:ギャグ (''gyagu''). The same as the English word ''gag'', ''gyagu'' are generally cheap jokes (though the word often refers to any joke) employed by a in their act. ''Gyagu'' tend to be short, physical, and often predictable. American English speakers might say "a corny joke".

:芸人 (). ''Gei'' means "performance" or "accomplishment", and the word is often translated as "artisan". nowadays refers exclusively to comedians. The un-abbreviated form of the word is 芸能人 (), which means "performer" or "entertainer", used to refer to those in the entertainment industry as a whole and usually not for comedians. It can be used in a context similar to the English ''celebrity''. Japanese comedians are called お笑い芸人 (, "comedy performers") or お笑いタレント (''owarai tarento'', "comedy talents") and talents that appear on television

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

s are usually called 芸能人タレント (''geinōjin tarento'', "performing talents") or sometimes 若手芸人 (, "young/newcomer talents") for newer additions to the talent pool. A ピン芸人 () is a solo stand-up performer.

ippatsu gag

:一発ギャグ (''ippatsu gyagu''). Literally means "one-shot gag", it is a term used to represent gags that are usually quick and meant to generate laughter quickly. It can also be called "one-off gags" as they are at many times gimmicky, random and have little context. Ippatsu gags are often used repeated and are often signature gags for certain comedians who rose to fame through that gag, these comedians are often called ''ippatsuya'' (一発屋).

kire

:キレ or 切れ (''kire''). A casual word for "anger" (similar to "pissed" or "ticked"), the キレ役 (''kireyaku'') is a role sometimes taken by who have very short tempers, or pretend to. Cunning's Takeyama is well known for his short temper; his ''kire'' is his defining feature. Also, 逆ギレ (''gyaku gire'') is the act of getting angry at someone/something in reverse. For example: A girl cheats on her boyfriend, but then gets angry at her boyfriend when he finds out, insisting that it was his fault; a man trips on a rock while walking and swears at the rock, throwing it into the woods. This is a very common role in

and

performances.

kombi

:コンビ (''kombi''). An abbreviation of the English word "combination". Usually refers to the "combination" of two Japanese

talents to form a comedy unit. The English equivalent is a

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

konto

:コント (''konto''). See

conte Conte may refer to: * Conte (literature), a literary genre * Conte (surname) * Conté, a drawing medium * Conte, Jura, town in France * Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world * Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...

Lumine

:ルミネ (''rumine''). Short for "Lumine the Yoshimoto" (ルミネtheよしもと), ルミネ is a stage (劇場, ''gekijō'') in

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

's LUMINE2 building, exclusively for

performances. It has considerable prestige as only the best performers in Japan ever get a chance to appear on this stage in front of a mere 500 live spectators.

mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still res ...

:漫談 (''mandan''). A form of comedy that consists of a single person telling a comedic story and/or performing comedy to an audience. An equivalent in the west is a one person

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve aro ...

:漫才 (''manzai''). A traditional style of Japanese comedy that consists of two people, or a ''kombi'' (comedy duo). The format usually consists of a ''boke'' and a ''tsukkomi''.

:モノマネ or 物真似 (). Usually impressions of other famous Japanese people, is very common in Japan and some talents have even made a career out of their skills. Some famous for their are Korokke, Miracle Hikaru, Hori and Gu-ssan.

neta

:ネタ (''neta''). Reverse spelling of the word ''tane'' (種), meaning "seed" or "pit". A ''neta'' is the background pretense of a konto skit, though it is sometimes used to refer to the contents of a segment of an

act, a variety show, or a

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

broadcast. Warai Meshi almost won the 2004 M-1 Gran Prix by doing several acts on a neta about the somewhat poorly built human models in the Asuka Historical Museum in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

. The neta of variety shows hosted by London Boots Ichigo Nigo almost always have to do with cheating girlfriends and boyfriends. Neta can also be referred to as material, reference, routine, joke or gag depending on the context used. Essentially, a comedian's neta is their content which in most cases are meant to generate laughter. See also

shimoneta , officially abbreviated as in Japan, is a Japanese light novel series written by Hirotaka Akagi and illustrated by Eito Shimotsuki. Shogakukan published eleven volumes under their Gagaga Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation titled with art by ...

ochi

:オチ (''ochi''). An ''ochi'' is the final part or ending of a ''neta'' or story that is supposed to generate laughter. The English equivalent is called the

punch line A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up ...

oogiri

:大喜利 (''oogiri'' or ''ōgiri''). Oogiri is a form of comedy that focuses on improvisation by providing a funny answer on the spot for a question or thematic topic. Usually presented like a

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

or quiz show format, the comedians are asked a simple question, in which they must try to come up with witty and funny responses to on the spot. The question can vary from simple questions to providing a photo of something random, and asking the participants to caption or dub that photo for comedic effects. A notable program that focuses on oogiri is '' Ippon Grand Prix'', where veteran comedians compete against each other.

owarai is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety shows ...

:お笑い (''owarai''). A general term for modern Japanese comedy.

pin geinin

:ピン芸人 (''pin geinin''). See geinin. A pin geinin is a solo comedian who is not currently in any duos, units or groups.

ponkotsu

:ポンコツ (''ponkotsu''). ''Ponkotsu'' is an adjective that describe a useless and/or unreliable character. An individual could be a ''ponkotsu'' character, meaning that they often makes mistakes and has embraced this characteristic as a part of their persona.

shimoneta

:下ネタ (''shimoneta''). ''Shimoneta'' is the combination of the characters ''shimo'', meaning "low" or "down", and neta. A ''shimoneta'' is a dirty joke, usually focusing on sexual or revolting topics. Some geinin are famous for their ''shimoneta''. For example, Beat Takeshi with his Comaneci gag, where the hands are thrust diagonally like the bottoms of a gymnast's one-piece. Another equally well known comedian is Shimura Ken, who uses the character 'Henna Oji-san' to prowl amidst nubile girls.

suberu

:すべる (''suberu''). ''Suberu'' literally means "to slip", which in comedy refers to when a comedian fails to generate laughter, bombs their act and/or created awkwardness. It essentially means that they have slipped up in their acts. The opposite of ''suberu'' is ''ukeru'', which literally means "well received". Comedians try to avoid the act of ''suberu'', but in rare occasions it has turned into a style for some. This is known as ''suberi-gei'' (すべり芸), which literally means "the art of slipping", a term used on comedians that often fails to generate laughter or often creates awkward atmospheres with their ''neta''.

sur

:シュール (''shūru''). From the French word surréalisme, ''sur'' (sometimes

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

''shule'') is comedy with no apparent reason or logic to it. ''Sur'' itself is not very common, or popular, though many Japanese comedians are known to try out ''sur'' on occasion in their acts. ''Sur'' exploits the natural, uncomfortable feeling that occurs when people are confused and don't know how they are supposed to react to a meaningless or unexpected joke or comment, and so they just laugh. ''Sur'' may be compared to some of the unusual humor of the late

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

n comedian

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

. Strictly ''sur'' kombi do exist, but it is extremely hard for ''sur'' performers to become popular.

tsukkomi

:突っ込み (''tsukkomi''). From the verb ''tsukkomu'' (突っ込む), meaning something like "butt in", this is often the role of the partner to the boke in an

kombi. The ''tsukkomi'' is generally the smarter and more reasonable of the unit, and will criticize, verbally and physically abuse, and generally rail at the ''boke'' for their mistakes and exaggerations. A typical ''tsukkomi'' often slaps the ''boke'' on the back of the head, an action always accompanied by an intentionally cheesy slapping

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

. It is common for tsukkomi in

to end an act with the phrase, "Let's quit!" (やめさしてもらいますわ！''Yamesashite moraimasu wa''!). The American equivalent is known as the

straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...

ukeru

:ウケる (''ukeru''). When something is funny or hilarious, and is a specialized word that originates from 受ける (''ukeru''), which translates to "well received". In the industry, it refers to when a comedian's act successfully generates laughter and does not bomb or create awkwardness. This is typically an antonym to ''suberu'' (すべる).

:うんちく or 蘊蓄 (). Literally a person's "stock of accumulated knowledge", usually refers to the act of complaining about something while teaching a lesson to an often uninterested audience.

Cream Stew is a popular Yōshoku dish consisting of meat, usually chicken or pork, and mixed vegetables, onion, carrot, potato and cabbage, cooked in thick white roux. The vegetables are sauteed before the meat is added with some water. The surface fats ...

is known for .

ureteru

:売れてる (''ureteru''). From the verb ''uru'' (売る), literally meaning "to sell", ''ureteru'' often refers to a performer's ability to sell their act (or themselves), and gives a little insight into the way many Japanese comedians think. An ''ureteru'' performer gets many more variety appearances, commercials, and pay from their agency than an ''uretenai'' (unable to sell) performer, and many performers determined to succeed will stop at almost nothing to promote themselves and get "selling". It may also refer to how popular a comedian has become (breaking out or making a name for themselves).

variety bangumi

:バラエティ番組 (''baraeti bangumi''). Though similar to the concept of

in English, shows in Japan often venture far from the Western concept.

Waratte Iitomo! was a Japanese variety show aired every weekday on Fuji TV. The show was hosted by Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita) and ran from 1982 to 2014. The show was produced in the Studio Alta building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The show featured a series of regular ...

and

Gaki no Tsukai , often abbreviated or just , is a Japanese variety show hosted by popular Japanese owarai duo Downtown, with comedian Hōsei Tsukitei (formerly known as Hōsei Yamasaki) and owarai duo Cocorico co-hosting. The program has been broadcast on N ...

are among the longest running TV variety shows.