役

やく · yaku · JLPT N3 · noun

function

🎭 役 = 彳 road + 殳 weapon: a soldier's duty on the march became a role

Originally 役 meant military service: troops marching (彳) armed with weapons (殳). That sense of an assigned duty widened into a job, post or part to play, as in 役者 (yakusha, actor) and 役に立つ (yaku ni tatsu, to be useful).

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