What does 役 mean?
役 is a Japanese noun meaning “role, position” in English. It can also be translated as “position (of responsibility), part (in a play, film, etc.), scoring combination” depending on context. It is written as 役 in kanji, やく in hiragana, and yaku in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N3 vocabulary.
Example sentences
彼が重要な役を果たした。
He played an important part.
彼の望みはハムレットの役を演じることです。
His ambition is to play the part of Hamlet.