How to say "acting" in Japanese

• 演技えんぎJLPT N3approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers acting in the performing-arts sense: an actor playing a role on stage or screen. It can also carry a nuance of feigned or put-on behavior. This is the natural choice for 'acting' as a skill or performance.
  ケイトが演技えんぎを磨みがくために注そそぐ力ちからを邪魔じゃまする物ものは、何なんもありませんでした。↗

  Nothing could hinder Kate from using all her energy to polish her performances.
• 仕草しぐさCommon
  nounRefers to gestures, small movements, or the way a person carries themselves, and its gloss 'acting; performance' is only marginal. For the sense of performing a role, it is seldom the word you want; think 'gesture' or 'mannerism' instead.

Use 演技 for acting in the sense of performing a role in a play or film, while 仕草 usually means gestures or mannerisms and is rarely the word you want for acting itself.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 演技えんぎacting
• アクティングacting
• 仕草しぐさacting
• 心得こころえdeputy
• 所作しょさperformance (on stage, etc.)