ドラマ

• Reading: ドラマ
• Romaji: dorama
• Pronunciation: /do.ɾa.ma/

Meaning

Drama; a television drama or dramatic series.

A loanword noun from English 'drama,' most commonly referring to TV drama series. Japan has a rich TV drama culture with famous time slots like Monday 9pm on Fuji TV. Can also mean drama in the broader sense of dramatic events. Related: 韓国ドラマ (kankoku dorama, Korean drama/K-drama), 連続ドラマ (renzoku dorama, serial drama).

Examples

1. 毎週月曜日にこのドラマを見ている。 I watch this drama every Monday.
2. 最近の韓国ドラマにはまっている友達が多い。 A lot of my friends are into Korean dramas lately.
3. あのドラマの最終回は泣いてしまった。 I cried at the final episode of that drama.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, television, conversation

Tone: casual

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'drama,' which itself comes from Greek δρᾶμα (action/play). In Japanese, the word shifted to primarily refer to television series rather than theatre.

Cultural Context

Era: Postwar

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal