| 難役 | difficult role |
嵌まり役 填まり役 はまり役 嵌り役 填り役 | well-suited role |
立ち役 立役 | leading male role in kabuki |
立て役者 立役者 | leading actor, person who acts as driving force behind something, key figure, leading spirit, central figure |
| 旅役者 | itinerant entertainer or troupe |
| 留め役 | arbitrator |
| 老け役 | (theatrical) role of old person |
| 牢役人 | (Edo-period) jail warden (gaol) |
| 一役買う | to take on a role, to take part |
| 役立たず | useless, deadhead |
| 共役 | conjugation |
| 主役から降ろす | to relieve someone of the leading role |
| 西南の役 | the Satsuma Rebellion |
| 手役 | hand of cards which scores as it is |
役に立たない 役にたたない 役に立た無い | of no avail, useless |
| 役に就く | to be appointed to a post, to assume office |
| 役に就ける | to place someone in a position |
| 役を勤める | to act (as), to hold an office, to play the part (of) |
| 役を割り振る | to assign a role to an actor |
| 二翻役 | winning hand which redoubles the score |
| 意味役割 | semantic role |
| 補佐役 | assistant, adjunct, lieutenant |
| 壁役 | tank (character that soaks up damage for the rest of the party in an MMORPG) |
| 退役軍人 | ex-serviceman |
| 執行役員 | operating officer, company executive |
| 取締役会長 | chairman of board of directors |
| 取締役社長 | managing director, president of a company (US) |
| 取締役副社長 | executive vice-president |
| これより三役 | final three bouts on the last day of a tournament |
| 三役揃い踏み | ritual stomping in unison on the final day of a tournament |
| 調査役 | assistant (to section manager) |
お役御免 お役ご免 お役ごめん 御役御免 御役ごめん 御役ご免 | dismissal, firing, retirement, being relieved of a burden |
| 三文役者 | third-rate actor |
| 重役出勤 | arriving at work late as if one were an executive, management attendance at work |
| 諸役御免 | being excused from various levies and taxes during the age of militarist government |
| 緞帳役者 | low-class actor (kabuki), actor who plays in low-class or cheap theater |
| 名題役者 | chief actor in a kabuki play, star actor, leading actors of a troupe |
| 花形役者 | leading actor, star actress, top-billed performer |
| 端役女優 | bit-part actress, actress with a minor part |
| 一人二役 | double role, one person playing two roles, wearing two hats |
| 役者稼業 | stage career, acting career |
| 役者気質 | characteristic temperament (spirit) of an actor |