1.
minor role; bit part; supporting role
A small, unimportant role in a play, film, or drama — one with few lines and little screen time. By extension, can describe a marginal or insignificant position in any endeavor.
端役でも出演できてうれしい。
I'm happy even to appear in a minor role.
彼女は端役から主役にまで成長した。
She grew from bit parts all the way to leading roles.
有名な俳優でも若い頃は端役ばかりだったそうだ。
Even famous actors apparently had nothing but minor roles when they were young.
Compound of 端 ('edge; margin; peripheral') and 役 ('role; part'). The word evokes a position at the margins of the main action — someone who appears briefly without driving the story.
USAGE:
- Primarily used in theater, film, and television contexts
- Can be used figuratively to describe a person playing an insignificant part in a project or event
- Often contrasted with 主役 ('leading role') or 大役 ('important role')
- The story arc of rising from 端役 to stardom is a common narrative in entertainment industry stories
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 端役を演じる: to play a minor role
- 端役ばかり: nothing but minor roles
- 端役から始める: to start from minor roles
- 端役俳優: bit-part actor
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 脇役: supporting role — a more significant secondary role that contributes to the plot, unlike the marginal 端役
- 主役: leading role; protagonist — the antonym; the central role in a production
- エキストラ: extra — a background performer with no lines, even smaller than a 端役