1.
personification, anthropomorphism
The act of attributing human characteristics, emotions, or behaviors to non-human things such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts. Common in literature, art, and pop culture.
動物を擬人化した物語だ。
It is a story with anthropomorphized animals.
日本では刀や電車まで擬人化される。
In Japan, even swords and trains get personified.
擬人化は文学における重要な修辞技法の一つだ。
Personification is one of the important rhetorical techniques in literature.
USAGE:
擬人化 is used both as a literary term (personification as a rhetorical device) and in pop culture contexts (turning non-human things into humanoid characters). In Japanese otaku culture, 擬人化 is extremely popular — countries, historical items, food, and even computer operating systems have been turned into anime-style characters.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 擬人化キャラ: anthropomorphized character
- 擬人化する: to personify, to anthropomorphize
- 擬人化表現: personification (as expression)