Glossary of owarai termsThe 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 been incorporated into normal Japanese speech. Glossarybangumi番組 (bangumi). The Japanese word for television show or television program.bokeボケ (boke).
Straight manStock character, notable for remaining composed in a comedic performance Martin and Lewis featured Dean Martin (left) as the smooth, debonair straight man and Jerry Lewis as the wild, oafish comic. The straight man, also known as a "comedic foil", 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.
Double actA double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the English music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' personalities. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases for the artists' entire careers. Double acts perform on the stage, television and film.
Kansai dialectThe Kansai dialect (関西弁・関西方言, Kansai-ben, Kansai hōgen; Japanese pronunciation:) is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, Kansai-ben is the common name and it is called Kinki dialect (近畿方言, Kinki-hōgen) in technical terms.
OsakaDesignated city in Kansai, JapanPrefecture capital and Designated city in Kansai, JapanOsaka (Japanese: 大阪市, Hepburn: Ōsaka-shi; pronounced; commonly just 大阪, Ōsaka) is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the second biggest prefectural city, third-most populous city proper in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama.
Japanese New YearThe Japanese New Year (正月, Shōgatsu) is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, New Year's Day (元日, Ganjitsu). Prior to 1872, traditional events of the Japanese New Year were celebrated on the first day of the year on the modern Tenpō calendar, the last official lunisolar calendar.
Yoshimoto KogyoYoshimoto Kogyo Holdings Co., Ltd. (吉本興業ホールディングス株式会社, Yoshimoto Kōgyō Hōrudeingusu Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in 1912, Osaka, as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai (comedy) talent, producing and promoting the shows they appear in. The two main headquarters are stationed in Osaka and Tokyo.
JokeA joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, and ends in a punch line, whereby the humorous element of the story is revealed; this can be done using a pun or other type of word play, irony or sarcasm, logical incompatibility, hyperbole, or other means.
TokyoTokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city of Japan. The population of the city proper was over 14 million as of 2023. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures, is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 33 million residents as of 2025. Lying at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region, on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island.
PunA pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, 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 homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or figurative language.Double-talkDouble-talk is a form of speech in which inappropriate, invented, or nonsense words are interpolated into normal speech to give the appearance of knowledge, and thus confuse or amuse the audience. ExamplesComedians who have used this as part of their act include Al Kelly, Danny Kaye, Gary Owens, Irwin Corey, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, Stanley Unwin, Reggie Watts, and Vanessa Bayer.
Culture of JapanRepresentative elements of Japanese cultureTop：Ukiyo-e (Fine Wind, Clear Morning, Rukujogosho hanami),Rising Sun FlagSecond left：The Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kōtoku-inSecond center：The Torii and Rōmon of Fushimi Inari-taishaSecond right：The Body armor and Kabuto in Edo periodThird left：Hinamatsuri (Girl's dolls day of Peach festival)Third center：Byōdō-in (Wayō architectural style of Heian period)Third right：Osechi (Bento boxes of New Year)Bottom：Geisha, Zen garden, Ikebana, TeaismJapanese culture 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.
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