まねる
maneru
The Japanese verb for to mimic is まねる (maneru).
まねる is used to describe imitating someone's actions or words.
Meaning: to imitate, especially in order to ridicule (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
This means you drop the final る to attach polite or past tense endings, such as まねます or まねた.
How do you pronounce it?
maneru
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, mimicking a superior's speech patterns is often seen as a subtle sign of social bonding or 'mirroring' rather than just mockery.
- Japanese has a specialized professional genre called ものまね (monomane), which translates to 'thing-mimicry' and is a popular form of entertainment and variety television.
- The word まね (mane) can also refer to a 'pretext' or a 'cover' for an action, such as 'under the guise of' something else.
Examples in context
- 彼女は鳥のさえずりを模倣することが得意です。She is skilled at mimicking the chirping of birds.
- 彼は映画スターの動きを真似ることができます。He can mimic the movements of a movie star.
- 昨日の番組で、彼は有名な俳優のものまねをしました。Yesterday, he did an impersonation of a famous actor on the TV show.
- 先生の話し方をまねる。Sensei no hanashikata o maneru.To mimic the teacher's way of speaking.
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are talking about a classmate.
- 健太 Kenta見て、彼が君の声をまねるよ。mite, kare ga kimi no koe o maneru yo.Look, he is mimicking your voice.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に嫌な人ね。hontou ni iya na hito ne.He is really annoying, isn't he?
- 健太 Kentaもう彼を気にしないで。mou kare o kinishinaide.Just ignore him now.
- 美咲 Misakiそうするわ。ありがとう、健太。sou suru wa. arigatou, kenta.I will. Thanks, Kenta.
