Is the Japanese You Learned from Anime Actually Usable? Role Language and Rephrasings That Fit the Situation

Among the expressions people pick up from anime, some can be used as they are, some depend on the situation, and some are almost never heard in real life. These three kinds tend to get lumped together as "anime Japanese." Here, I use the concept of role language (yakuwarigo) to tell them apart, and I show how to rephrase them for work and everyday life.

The New Employee Who Replied "Ryōkai shita!"

*This scene is fictional, based on situations that are common among learners.

Nadia, who had been at the company for two weeks, was given a request by her senior colleague, Kashiwagi.

"Could you send this document by this evening?"

Nadia answered cheerfully.

"Ryōkai shita!" (Understood!)

It was the reply a commander gives to his subordinates in her favorite anime. Kashiwagi paused for just a moment, said, "Oh, okay. Thanks," and turned his eyes back to the screen. Nadia felt that something was slightly off, but she couldn't tell what it was.

There are two sticking points. One is that she answered "Ryōkai shita" instead of "Ryōkai shimashita," without the polite "-masu" form. In reply to a senior colleague, it sounds as if she is answering as an equal or from a higher position. The other is that the emphatic, decisive "Ryōkai shita!" calls to mind a commander in a story more than a workplace conversation. As a reply from a new employee to a senior colleague, the role it signals sounds out of place.

Role Language: A Way of Speaking That Calls a Character to Mind

The linguist Satoshi Kinsui defines role language as follows. When hearing a certain way of speaking brings a particular character type to mind, or when being shown a particular character type brings to mind the way of speaking that person would be likely to use, that way of speaking is role language. Character types include age, gender, occupation, social class, era, and personality. The definition comes from Kinsui (2003), Virtual Japanese: The Mystery of Role Language (Vācharu Nihongo: Yakuwarigo no Nazo), and it is quoted in a book review [1] and in a report for a Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) project [2].

[1] also gives examples. "Washi ga shitte oru" brings an old man to mind, "Watashi wa shittete yo" a young lady of good breeding, and "Sessha ga zonjite oru" a samurai. The way of speaking calls up a character, and the character calls up the way of speaking. Role language is the case where both directions hold.

Role language is mainly a way of speaking that is stereotypically tied to character types in fiction [2]. It is how characters in stories speak, not how real people actually speak. If you use role language you picked up from anime directly with a real person, the listener may see a "character" before they see the person speaking.

Words You Almost Never Hear in Real Life, and Words That Exist but Depend on the Situation

Anime lines that tend to cause misunderstandings when used as they are fall into two kinds.

The first kind is words you almost never hear in everyday conversation, such as "sessha," "warawa," and "-de gozaru." Using them makes the character type stand out before anything else. Note that "washi" and "-ja," which often appear in the lines of elderly characters, and expressions close to "-te oru," are still used in daily life in some western Japanese dialects. But if someone who doesn't speak those dialects uses them, it sounds like an imitation of a character.

The second kind is casual words that are actually used in daily life, such as "ore," "omae," "anta," "sumaN," "-daro," and "-jan." These are not invented words; they are used normally in conversation with close friends. What matters is the listener and the situation. With someone you've just met, a business partner, or a superior or senior colleague at work, casual speech can sound like you are closing the distance too quickly. If you are unsure which word for "I" to use at work, "watashi" is a safe choice.

The first kind can simply be learned as words not to use. The second kind needs to be learned as words to use only with certain people.

Rephrasings That Fit the Situation

Here are examples of anime catchphrases placed back into workplace situations.

When replying: replace "Ryōkai shita!" with "Shōchi itashimashita" or "Kashikomarimashita." On the use of "ryōkai shimashita" toward superiors, some explanations call it rude [3], while another article says "it's not that you may only use one or the other" [4]. Both are articles for a general audience, and opinions are divided. With a boss or a business partner, choosing "Shōchi itashimashita," which spares you any doubt, is often considered the safe option. For a light request from a senior colleague at work, as in the scene above, "Hai, wakarimashita" or "Shōchi shimashita" is polite enough.

When declining, the forcefulness of the flat "Kotowaru!" gives it the ring of a catchphrase. If you say "Mōshiwake arimasen ga, muzukashii desu" (I'm sorry, but that would be difficult), your intention to decline comes across while the other person's face is preserved.

When asking for a reason, "Riyū o mōse" (State your reason) is a command that presses the other person for an answer. With "Riyū o oshiete itadakemasu ka" (Could you tell me the reason?), you can ask the same thing as a request.

What the three have in common is that forceful declarations and commands are turned into a reply, an apology, or a request in the polite "-desu/-masu" form.

Among Friends, as a Joke, It's Fine

Anime expressions have their moments of use, too. Saying "Kotowaru!" to a friend and laughing together, or imitating lines among fellow anime fans, makes for fun exchanges. When the other person knows the source and understands it's a joke, role language becomes a tool for play.

What you should look at is whether you can use it now, with this person, in this situation. Even the same "Kotowaru!" means something different in casual chat with a friend and in a phone call with a business partner.

When the Character Comes Across as Inconsistent

The idea of role language can explain one more thing. Consider a person with a calm, polite manner who repeatedly uses "-ze" and says, "Ii tenki da ze. Shiryō wa junbi dekita ze" (Nice weather today. I've got the documents ready). "-ze" is sometimes used in invitations between friends, as in "ikō ze" (let's go), but a flat statement like "ii tenki da ze" is a way of speaking you hear more in the lines of spirited male characters than in real conversation. When a gentle demeanor is combined with a swaggering sentence ending, the listener has trouble grasping what kind of person this is.

The view of the character type that a way of speaking calls to mind can be a clue for checking whether your own way of speaking matches your usual impression.

Use Anime for Listening, and Other Material for How to Speak

Anime can be used as material for listening practice and for getting used to the sound of Japanese. For models of how to speak, however, it is safer to draw on material other than anime. Role language is a stereotype within fiction, so if you take it as a model as it is, the words may be correct but the character's position ends up off, as in the scene above.

Good models for how to speak include the news, contemporary dramas depicting workplaces and daily life, and real conversations at work. Take the level of politeness you hear there and work it into your own speech.

References

1. Mamoru Ikuta, "Nihongo Kyōiku Tsūshin Honbako: 'Yakuwarigo Kenkyū no Tenkai' (Book Review)," The Japan Foundation. https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/teach/tsushin/bookshelf/201111.html
2. Satoshi Kinsui (Principal Investigator), "A Comprehensive Study of Role Language (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Final Report, Project No. 23320087)," Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 2015. https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/file/KAKENHI-PROJECT-23320087/23320087seika.pdf
3. "Is 'Ryōkai shimashita' or 'Ryōkai desu' rude? Correct usage in business and appropriate rephrasings," Forbes JAPAN, 2024. https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/72870
4. Issei Yonemitsu, "Can we stop arguing about which is correct, 'ryōkai' or 'shōchi'? It's a pointless question," Excite News, 2018. https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/E1521214725679/