How to say "comedy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe katakana loanword; covers comedy as entertainment — comedy films, TV shows, stand-up. For a funny movie or show, this is the word you want.
- 喜劇きげきnounThe genre term: comedy as a class of drama or literature — a work written to amuse, in contrast to tragedy. Typical context is discussion of plays and the dramatic or literary tradition.
Use 「コメディ」 for comedy as entertainment — comedy films, TV shows, comedians — and 喜劇 for comedy as a dramatic or literary genre, the counterpart of tragedy.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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