Translation guide
The English word 'mock' covers several distinct ideas: making fun of someone, imitating in a critical way, describing something as fake or practice, and achieving a perfect score in an exam. This guide breaks those down for natural Japanese expression.
To laugh at someone or something in a cruel or unkind way, often by copying or saying mean things.
A very common phrase meaning to make fun of someone, to treat them as stupid, or to ridicule them. Can be used for both light teasing and serious contempt.
彼はいつも私のことを馬鹿にする。
He always mocks me.
そんな風に人を馬鹿にするのはよくない。
It's not good to mock people like that.
A stronger, more literary word for mocking or sneering at someone. Often used in writing or formal speech.
彼は失敗した同僚を嘲笑った。
He mocked his colleague who had failed.
Means to tease or make fun of someone playfully. Less harsh than 馬鹿にする, often used among friends.
友達をからかうのが好きだ。
I like to tease my friends.
A formal, literary term for ridiculing or making sarcastic remarks. Rare in everyday conversation.
彼の提案は会議で揶揄された。
His proposal was mocked at the meeting.
To copy someone's voice, mannerisms, or actions in order to make fun of them.
Literally 'imitate and make fun of'. This phrase clearly conveys mocking through imitation.
彼は先生の話し方を真似して馬鹿にした。
He mocked the teacher by imitating the way they speak.
To tease through mimicry. 物真似 means impression or mimicry, and からかう means to tease.
彼は有名人の物真似で友達をからかった。
He mocked his friend by doing an impression of a celebrity.
Describing something that is made to look like something else, often for practice, decoration, or deception.
Means fake, counterfeit, or imitation. Used for objects that are not genuine.
これは偽のブランドバッグだ。
This is a mock designer bag.
Used for practice or simulation, like mock exams or mock trials. Not for fake goods.
模擬試験を受けた。
I took a mock exam.
模擬裁判が行われた。
A mock trial was held.
Refers to imitation or replica items, often used for museum replicas or imitation leather.
模造真珠のネックレス。
A necklace of mock pearls.
Loanword from English 'dummy', used for mock objects like mock weapons or mock-ups.
Used to describe a simulated event for practice, such as an exam, interview, or battle.
Prefix meaning simulated or mock. Attach to nouns like 試験 (exam), 面接 (interview), etc.
模擬面接の練習をした。
I practiced for a mock interview.
Means 'for practice'. Can be used more broadly than 模擬.
練習用のテストを受けた。
I took a mock test.
Pretending to feel an emotion, often for humorous or dramatic effect.
An adjective meaning 'contrived' or 'feigned'. Used for exaggerated, insincere displays of emotion.
彼女はわざとらしい驚きの表情を見せた。
She put on a look of mock surprise.
Means 'pretended' or 'sham'. Can be used for mock emotions.
彼は見せかけの怒りを演じた。
He acted out mock anger.
To get a perfect or extremely high score on a test, especially in British English slang.
Means 'to get a perfect score'. This is the closest natural equivalent, though it doesn't carry the slangy feel of 'mock'.
彼は数学の試験で満点を取った。
He mocked the math exam.
Means 'to do perfectly' or 'to ace'. More general than just exams.
彼女は面接を完璧にこなした。
She mocked the interview.
The katakana word モック is used in design/tech contexts for mock-ups, but it is not a general translation for 'mock'. Use the appropriate Japanese word based on the meaning you intend.
馬鹿にする implies looking down on someone and can be hurtful. からかう is lighter, often playful teasing among equals. Choose based on the relationship and intent.
A mock bomb was used.