Translation guide
The concept of role-playing, including acting out a role in games, therapy, or training, and the specific Japanese term for tabletop role-playing games.
Expressing the general activity of role-playing, where participants assume and act out roles.
The most common and direct loanword for 'role-playing' in general contexts, such as training exercises, therapy, or casual gaming.
新入社員研修でロールプレイを行った。
We did role-playing during the new employee training.
A more formal, native Japanese term often used in educational or psychological contexts. Literally 'role performance'.
心理療法では役割演技が用いられることがある。
Role-playing is sometimes used in psychotherapy.
A verb phrase meaning 'to play a role' or 'to act out a role'. More general and can be used in theatrical or everyday contexts.
子供たちはお医者さんごっこで役を演じていた。
The children were role-playing as doctors.
Referring specifically to tabletop RPGs as a hobby or game genre.
Abbreviation for 'Tabletalk Role-Playing Game', the standard Japanese term for tabletop RPGs. Widely understood among gamers.
週末に友達とTRPGをプレイする。
I play tabletop RPGs with friends on weekends.
The full form of TRPG. Used in formal writing or when introducing the concept to newcomers.
テーブルトークRPGは日本でも人気がある。
Tabletop RPGs are popular in Japan too.
Referring to erotic role-play or sexual fantasy enactment.
In adult contexts, 'プレイ' (play) is often used as a euphemism for sexual role-play or specific acts. The exact nature is understood from context.
This term is very context-dependent. In non-sexual contexts, it simply means 'play' or 'playing'.
今夜はどんなプレイがしたい？
What kind of role-play do you want to do tonight?
Short for 'costume play', often used for dressing up in sexual role-play, though it also broadly means cosplay (anime/comic conventions).
In Japanese, ロールプレイングゲーム (RPG) almost exclusively refers to computer/video game RPGs. To talk about tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, always use TRPG or テーブルトークRPG to avoid confusion.
ロールプレイ is the common loanword used in business training and casual contexts. 役割演技 is a formal, academic term often found in psychology or education literature. In everyday speech, ロールプレイ is preferred.
Direct loanword for 'role-playing game', but this term is overwhelmingly associated with video game RPGs (computer RPGs) in Japanese. Using it for tabletop games may cause confusion.
In Japanese, ロールプレイングゲーム almost always means a video game RPG (like Final Fantasy). To specify tabletop, use TRPG or テーブルトークRPG.
このロールプレイングゲームはストーリーが深い。
This role-playing game has a deep story. (Likely refers to a video game)
She likes nurse role-play (costume play).