狂言(きょうげん)

きょうげん
noun
kyogen
leisure
1. kyogen, traditional comic theater
A form of traditional Japanese comic theater performed between noh plays, featuring humorous everyday situations.
能(のう)と狂言(きょうげん)を観(み)た。
I watched noh and kyogen.
狂言(きょうげん)は滑稽(こっけい)な話(はなし)が多(おお)い。
Kyogen often has humorous stories.
能(のう)の合間(あいま)に狂言(きょうげん)が演(えん)じられる。
Kyogen is performed between noh plays.
2. false statement, fabrication
A made-up story or false claim, especially one used to deceive.
これは狂言(きょうげん)強盗(ごうとう)だ。
This is a fake robbery.
彼(かれ)の話(はなし)は狂言(きょうげん)だった。
His story was a fabrication.
警察(けいさつ)は、これが狂言(きょうげん)誘拐(ゆうかい)ではないかと調(しら)べている。
The police are investigating whether this is a fake kidnapping.

Compound: 狂(きょう) (crazy, wild) + 言(げん) (words)

CULTURAL NOTE (theater):
Kyogen is performed as comic relief between serious noh plays. Unlike noh's supernatural themes, kyogen features everyday characters in humorous situations.

Cultural note

  • Spoken dialogue (not chanted like noh)
  • Simple costumes and no masks (usually)
  • Common character types: clever servants (太郎冠者(たろうかじゃ)), foolish masters

Common collocations

  • 狂言(きょうげん)を演(えん)じる (to perform kyogen)
  • 狂言(きょうげん)師(し) (kyogen actor)
  • 狂言(きょうげん)回(まわ)し (a character who moves the story along; originally the kyogen actor who explains the plot in a noh program)

COMPOUNDS (sense 2, staged hoax):

Related Words

Related: 能(のう) (noh theater)
Related: 歌舞伎(かぶき) (kabuki)
general
Added 2026.1.14 23:59 · Revised 2026.10.10 16:55
04000/04456_kyougen