キャラクター
きゃらくたー
noun
character (fictional, mascot)
1.
character; fictional character
A person or figure in a story, anime, manga, game, or other fictional work.
好きなキャラクターは誰？
Who's your favorite character?
このアニメのキャラクターは個性的だ。
The characters in this anime are unique.
新しいゲームの主人公キャラクターが発表された。
The protagonist character of the new game was announced.
2.
mascot character; branded character
A designed character used as a mascot or brand representative, including corporate mascots, regional mascots, and product characters.
キャラクターグッズを買う。
To buy character merchandise.
この町の公式キャラクターはクマだ。
This town's official mascot character is a bear.
駅前にキャラクターの大きな像が置かれている。
A large statue of the mascot character is placed in front of the station.
From English 'character'. Very frequently shortened to キャラ in casual speech. In Japanese, this word primarily refers to fictional or mascot characters, not to personality or moral character (which would be 性格 or 人格).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- キャラクターグッズ: character merchandise
- 人気キャラクター: popular character
- 公式キャラクター: official character/mascot
- ご当地キャラクター: local mascot character (regional mascot)
- キャラクターデザイン: character design
- キャラクターを演じる: to play/portray a character
CULTURAL NOTE:
Japan has a rich culture of mascot characters ({ゆるキャラ}). Almost every prefecture, city, company, and organization has its own character. Famous examples include くまモン (Kumamoto Prefecture) and ふなっしー (Funabashi City).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- キャラ: character — the casual abbreviated form, extremely common in spoken Japanese
- 登場人物: character (in a story) — a more formal, literary term
- マスコット: mascot — focuses on the mascot role rather than the character design