Yakuwarigo (Japanese:役割語, "role language") is a style of language, often used in works of fiction, that conveys certain traits about its speaker such as age, gender, and class.[1] It is particularly used in reference to the styles of speech found in Japanese-language media such asmanga,anime, and novels. Although highly recognisable, it is usually partially or entirely distinct from the real life language typical of the kind of people it is used to represent.[2] The extent and variety ofyakuwarigo in Japanese can pose problems for translation, especially as it often relies on variation in features such asfirst person pronouns orsentence-ending particles which are static or absent in languages such as English.[3]
The concept was first proposed by Japanese linguistSatoshi Kinsui in 2003.
The following sentences[4] all have the same meaning of "Yes, I know":