役 | Japanese meaning

役【やく】

Frequency rank: 1,793.

noun (common) (futsuumeishi)

role; assignment; responsibility; duty; function; job; service
position (of responsibility); post; office
part (in a play, film, etc.); role; character
scoring combination (in mahjong, card games, etc.); meld; hand; yaku

Forms

役【やく】Frequency rank: 1,793.
やくFrequency rank: 28,850. – 29,089.

Generated definitions (experimental)

role; assignment; responsibility; duty; function; job; service

This meaning refers to a person's function or assigned task within a certain context, highlighting the responsibilities they hold.

。

He plays an important role as the leader of the team.

、。

Many people are involved in the project, and each has their own role.

position (of responsibility); post; office

This meaning emphasizes a designated position or a formal role within an organization, often associated with authority or prescribed duties.

。

She has been assigned to a new position.

。

That position entails significant responsibility for him.

part (in a play, film, etc.); role; character

Here, the term refers to an assigned character in a theatrical or cinematic context, highlighting the importance of interpretation and performance.

。

He plays the leading role in the movie.

。

In that play, she is performing the role of the villain.

scoring combination (in mahjong, card games, etc.); meld; hand; yaku

This meaning is specific to games like mahjong, where it indicates a set of specific combinations that have value in scoring.

。

That scoring combination brings high points.

。

He completed that hand.

Generated collocations (experimental)

to fulfill a roleto be usefulto play a roleassigned roleleading rolesupporting rolerole divisionto hold a rolegovernment officetown hallposition of responsibilityuseful informationto appear as a characterto take turns in a roleto fulfill a dutycharacter setting