This is a dictionary of terms that see use in Japanese roleplay (“naricha”) culture.
| あ行 (a-o) | か行 (ka-go) | さ行 (sa-zo) | た行 (ta-do) | な行 (na-no) | は行 (ha-po) |
| ま行 (ma-mo) | や行 (ya-yo) | ら行 (ra-ro) | わ行 (wa-wo) | Latin script | Misc. |
あ行 (a-o)
アヘ顔
(アヘがお) [noun]
Gasping, moaning, or vocalizing with an indecent and slutty facial expression; the facial expression itself.
荒らし
(あらし) [noun]
A person who participates in a malicious and obstructive way; a troll.
イメチャ
[noun]
communication focused almost entirely on eroticism with minimal distinction between players and player characters, from イメージチャット.
See also: エロール
鵜飼い
(うかい) [noun]
cormorant fishing; characters created for the purpose of attracting multiple “lovers”; the act of making such characters.
受
(うけ) [noun]
catcher; bottom; a character who is the receiving party in penetrative sex.
See also: 攻
裏
(うら) [noun]
“secret”; sexual or criminal acts.
裏設定
(うらせってい) [noun]
secret details; important characteristics not established in a character’s profile (e.g. revealing that your character is immortal, especially in response to an action that would kill them.)
一期一会
(いちごいちえ) [noun]
“once-in-a-lifetime encounter”; roleplay between characters without exchanging contact information, and with no promise of meeting again.
エロール
[noun]
character-driven roleplay including elements of eroticism, from エロ and ロール.
See also: イメチャ
エンカウント
[noun]
“encounter”; the act of a specific character appearing, especially in the context of how common/rare it is to see a specific character.
置きレス
(おきレス) [noun]
a pause in responses; announcing one will be unable to reply for a significant length of time.
See also: 遅レス, 亀レス, 即レス
遅レス
(おそレス) [noun]
slow response; a relatively late reply.
See also: 置きレス, 亀レス, 即レス
オリキャラ
[noun]
“original character”; a character unrelated to existing media. See also: オリチャ, 版権チャ
オリチャ
[noun]
original characters chat; a roleplay chat for characters unrelated to copyrighted media.
See also: 版権チャ
か行 (ka-go)
鍵
(かぎ) [noun]
“key”; a password used to identify somebody you had met previously, especially in an anonymous chat.
確定ロール
(かくていロール) [noun]
“confirmation roleplay”; describing the effects of another character’s actions, especially in the sense of confirming success or failure.
掛け茶
(かけチャ) [noun]
multiple chats; to participate in multiple roleplay chats at once, especially different sites.
亀レス
(かめレス) [noun]
responding at a turtle’s pace; slow responses. See also: 遅レス, 置きレス, 即レス
括弧内略字
(かっこないりゃくじ) [noun]
parenthesized abbreviations; communicating sounds, expressions, etc. though short words contained in parentheses (e.g.: indicating laughter with “（笑）”)
完全なりきり
(かんぜんなりきり) [noun]
“perfect roleplay”: to maintain a perfect in-character status as if one was the character themselves, with no meta-fiction or real-world elements.
漢文ロール
(かんぶんロール) [noun]
roleplay making heavy use of kanji but retaining normal Japanese grammar, which trades readability for a lower character count.
擬音
(ぎおん) [noun]
onomatopoeia; roleplay where onomatopoeia is used instead of literal descriptions of actions.
既知ロール
(きちロール) [noun]
roleplay in which characters are already acquainted.
キャラキープ
[noun]
“character keeping”; the act of reserving a character name so that others can’t use it.
キャラ崩す
(キャラくずす) [godan verb]
“character destruction”: to play a character in a way that runs contrary to their original characterization.
キャラページ
[noun]
character page, from English; a webpage containing information about yourself, your characters, including profiles, novels, illustrations, etc.
キャラリセット
[noun]
“character reset”; the deletion of a character, especially to avoid inadvertently “character keeping” with an unused character.
ギャル文字
(ギャルもじ) [noun]
The construction of text Japanese characters from unrelated symbols, often in a manner that’s hard to read (e.g. 死 (death) → ﾀﾋ (ta-hi))
喰い合い
(くいあい) [noun]
“mutual assault”; roleplay in which characters actively switch between top/bottom positions, constantly penetrating or servicing the other.
検索避け
(けんさくよけ) [noun]
“search repellent”; the use of symbols to obfuscate a character name and hide it from character searches.
粉かけ
(こなかけ) [noun]
abbreviated from 粉(こな)をかける, to flirt with characters.
小文字
(こもじ) [noun]
“small characters”; posts and characters that make heavy use of small text.
混同
(こんどう) [noun]
commingling; adopting feelings towards a player based on one’s relationship with their character (attraction, antipathy, etc.)
さ行 (sa-zo)
柵
(さく) [noun]
A copyrighted work, especially in the context of pairing characters from similar/different media.
サザエさん時間
(サザエさんじかん) [noun]
“sazae-san time”; a phenomenon where time is observed as passing for long lengths of time (such as entire seasons), but characters do not age.
小説ロール
(しょうせつロール) [noun]
“novel roleplay”; roleplay in which text is written not from the character’s point of view, but from a neutral third party; roleplaying in the third person.
シンクロ率
(シンクロりつ) [noun]
synchonization rate; the degree of emotional investment with PCs (e.g. feeling sad when your character is sad.)
心情ロール
(しんじょうロール) [noun]
“sentimental roleplay”; roleplay in which a character’s sentiments are described along with their words and actions.
自作自演
(じさくじえん) [noun]
performing in one’s own theatre; a player playing as many characters and establishing a setting.
自宅茶
(じだくチャ) [noun]
“home chat”; a chat established by a player, especially one on their website, character page, etc.
自ツ
(じツ) [noun]
abbreviated from 自分ツッコミ, “self-tsukkomi”; an act in which you crack jokes at your own expense, by means such as pointing out the ridiculous nature of your own statements.
設定
(せってい) [noun]
“setting”; settings taken from specific media, or those in the context of a specific roleplay (such as a setting where a character was subject to gender transformation.)
攻
(せめ) [noun]
pitcher; top; a character who is the penetrating party in penetrative sex. See also: 受
創作
(そうさく) [noun]
“creation”; a character or setting that is not taken from existing media.
See also: オリキャラ, オリチャ
即裏
(そくうら) [noun]
“instant reverse”; to begin sexual or criminal action immediately.
See also: 即槍
属性
(ぞくせい) [noun]
“attributes”; “affinities”; a character’s preferences (e.g. 攻属性 is a preference for being the top.)
即レス
(そくレス) [noun]
instant response
See also: 遅レス, 置きレス, 亀レス
即槍
(そくやり) [noun]
“instant lance”; to begin sexual intercourse (especially penetration) immediately.
See also: 即裏
た行 (ta-do)
退場ロール
(たいじょうロール) [noun]
exit post; a post removing a character from a scene; a message posted immediately before logging out of a chat.
See also: 登場ロール
多キャラ
(たキャラ) [noun]
multiple characters; to participate as many characters at once.
タグ
[noun]
HTML/XML tags (from English) used to style text, usually for size or color.
多段レス
(ただんレス) [noun]
multiple responses; replying to a person with multiple posts.
See also: マルチレス
多窓
(たまど) [noun]
multiple windows; to multi-task between chatting and another program.
茶
(ちゃ) [noun]
“tea”; abbreviation of “chat” (チャット)
茶室
(ちゃしつ) [noun]
“tea room”; a chat room
登場ロール
(とうじょうロール) [noun]
entry post; a post introducing a character to a scene; a message posted immediately after logging into a chat.
See also: 退場ロール
ドッペル
[noun]
doppelganger (from German); multiple instances of the same character appearing (e.g. two different players roleplaying as Ichigo Kurosaki, the same person playing the same character in different channels); the act of seeing such characters.
な行 (na-no)
ナマモノ
[noun]
“living specimen”; a real person.
See also: 半ナマ
成り切る
(なりきる) [godan verb, intransitive verb]
to become completely; to roleplay
なりチャ
[noun]
roleplay chat (from 成り切る and チャット)
なりメ
[noun]
from なりきりメール, writing emails from the perspective of your character; roleplay by email.
寝落ち
(ねおち) [noun abbreviated from ichidan verb]
dozing off; to fall asleep during chat.
は行 (ha-po)
パロ
[noun]
“parody”; an alternate take on a character from established media that ignores the setting of the original media, such as transporting such a character into modern times, roleplaying them as a teacher or student in a school, etc.
半なりきり
(はんなりきり) [noun]
“half roleplay”; talking as one’s player character while addressing meta-fictional elements, such as the character’s relationship to the player, the way other players are spelling or writing, etc.
半ナマ
(はんナマ) [noun]
“half living specimen”; a fictional character depicted by a real person.
See also: ナマモノ
版権チャ
(はんけんチャ) [noun]
copyrighted characters chat; a roleplay chat for characters related to copyrighted media such as games, cartoons, comics, and novels.
See also: オリチャ
パラレルレス
[noun]
parallel responses (from English); multiple unrelated threads of discussion sharing the same chat; a post that itself addresses multiple unrelated threads of discussion.
皮肉ロール
(ひにくロール) [noun]
mocking post; a roleplay post that includes a personal attack against another player.
秘話
(ひわ) [noun]
secret discussion; private messages; whispers; messages that can only be seen by specific individuals.
プチレス
[noun]
petit (from French) response; an exceptionally short post.
プロフ
[noun]
profile (abbreviated from プロフィール)
募集
(ぼしゅう) [noun]
advertising for roleplay partners by listing requirements and interests.
ま行 (ma-mo)
窓
(まど) [noun]
a browser or program window, especially the one used for roleplay.
See also: 多窓, 窓落ち, 闇落ち
窓落ち
(まどおち) [noun abbreviated from ichidan verb]
exiting a chat room by closing a browser or program window without logging out or sending a disconnect packet.
See also: 闇落ち
マルチレス
[noun]
multiple responses; replying to a person with multiple posts.
See also: 多段レス
ムラレス
[noun]
nonuniform responses; posts that vary with length and response time.
持ち越す
(もちこす) [godan verb]
to carry over logs from the previous session of roleplay.
や行 (ya-yo)
闇落ち
(やみおち) [noun abbreviated from ichidan verb]
exiting a chat room by closing a browser or program window without logging out or sending a disconnect packet.
See also: 窓落ち
槍
(やり) [noun]
penetrative sex.
優遇
(ゆうぐう) [noun]
“warm reception”; in the context of advertising for roleplay, a list of items for which the player expresses interest (but doesn’t require.)
予定調和
(よていちょうわ) [noun]
pre-established harmony (harmonie préétablie); roleplaying with a prearranged development or ending in mind.
ら行 (ra-ro)
リアチャ
[noun]
“real chat”; out-of-character chatting; instant messaging services
リバーシブル
[no adjective, noun]
“reversible”; a character played as either a top or bottom (or dominant or submissive); a switch.
冷遇
(れいぐう) [noun]
“cold reception”; in the context of advertising for roleplay, a list of items for which the player expresses distaste or disinterest (this is essentially a “no” or “maybe” in F-List terms, depending on the individual.)
レス
[noun]
response (abbreviated from English), reply
See also: レス蹴り
レス蹴り
(レスけり) [noun]
rejection of responses; ignoring messages directed to yourself
See also: レス
レス不
(レスふ)
abbreviated from レス不要 (レスふよう), declaring that no further out-of-character responses are necessary (such as transitioning from out-of-character to in-character.)
連レス
(れんレス)
serial responses; posting additional messages after your own response, as if providing additional comments or a post-script.
ログ
[noun]
logs (from English); documents containing a transcript of a chat or roleplay
See also: ログ流す
ログ流す
(ログながす) [godan verb]
to wash away logs; the practice of repeatedly posting to remove or obscure the previous chat logs, usually in a spammy/unintelligible fashion.
See also: ログ, ログ汚す
ログ汚す
(ログよごす) [godan verb]
to contaminate logs; the practice of repeatedly posting to remove or obscure the previous chat logs, usually in a spammy/unintelligible fashion.
See also: ログ, ログ流す
露骨
(ろこつ) [na adjective, noun]
explicitness; the use of explicit and uncensored words for things such as genitals.
ロール
[noun]
roleplay (abbreviated from ロールプレイ); the written text describing a character’s actions (excluding dialogue, emoticons, etc.), a post
ロル数
(ロルすう) [noun]
number of characters in a post (sometimes excludes dialogue)
ロールプレイ
[noun]
roleplay (from English)
わ行 (wa-wo)
It’s blank! わーい！
Latin script
BL
[noun]
“Boys’ love”. Male homosexuality.
CC
[noun]
“Character change”. Switching between characters while remaining in the same chat.
GL
[noun]
“Girls’ love”. Lesbianism.
GM
[noun]
game master; a roleplay participant who enforces game rules, sets scenes, and/or determines the conduct of non-player characters, usually without themselves playing a particular character; administrator (of a roleplay chat)
ML
“Mailing list”; “Men’s love”, male homosexuality where one or both parties are adult men.
NG
“No good”. Interests and acts not allowed by a player, or acts not allowed by an administrator.
NL
[noun]
“Normal love”. Heterosexuality.
NPC
[noun]
non-player character; a character who is not under exclusive control of a “PL” (though a PL may write a post temporarily detailing an NPC’s actions), including characters established by a GM or administrator.
PC
[noun]
player character; a character whose actions are determined by a “PL” (player).
PL
[noun]
player; a roleplay participant who has exclusive control over one or more “PCs” (player characters).
PL交流
(ピーエルこうりゅう) [noun]
player exchange; out-of-character interactions between players
PL情報
(ピーエルじょうほう) [noun]
player information; meta-knowledge that a player possesses but their character lacks.
PL発言
(ピーエルはつげん) [noun]
player’s remarks; out-of-character (“OOC”) commentary
ROM
(アーオーエム) [noun]
read-only member; a person who reads without themselves participating; a lurker.
W茶
(ダブルチャ) [noun]
to participate in two chats at once (especially in the sense of roleplaying).
Misc.
↑
indicates a player’s entrance into a chat room (primarily in chat rooms that do not display connect/disconnect messages.)
↓
indicates a player’s exit from a chat room (in chat rooms that already display connect/disconnect messages, this indicates that the user is disconnecting on purpose.)
→
indicates a player’s intent to provide multiple posts in a row (usually due to hitting a character limit.)
>
indicates that a message or its content is aimed towards a specific person (e.g. “>Kirito”)