seiyuu

English

Alternative forms

• seiyu, seiyū

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 声優 (seiyū), from Middle Chinese 聲 (*ɕiɛ̝ŋ, “sound, voice”) + 優 (*ʔɨu, “actor”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseɪjuː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪjuː

Noun

seiyuu (plural seiyuu or seiyuus)

1. A voice actor in a native-language version anime, a video game, a radio broadcast or an advertisement in Japan.
   • 1998 November 8, jjiz...@forest.drew.edu, “seiyuus in other media?”, in rec.arts.anime.misc‎^{"seiyuus"/rec.arts.anime.misc/knz0XOnAYa0/GFPgV_9yJRgJ} (Usenet):

     i was just wondering if any seiyuus did/do any other voice acting for things besides anime, like video games and other such media.

   • 2001 March 23, Marcus Mas, “[OT] English speaking seiyuu?”, in alt.fan.sailor-moon (Usenet):

     I was thinking, have there ever been any seiyuu that are native English speakers but have learned Japanese and won a role as an anime character?

   • December 2013, Pax Alquiza in Anime Reign Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 2:

     And the seiyuus all fit very nicely with their characters, especially Takuya, who voices our main man, Hikigaya.

   • 2014, p. 189:

     Kasahara might be better-known today to most U.S. fans as an anime seiyuu (voice actor); she played Fuu in Magic Knights Rayearth and Misuki's mother, Hazuki, in Full Moon wo Sagashite.

Translations

voice actor — see voice actor

Verb

seiyuu (third-person singular simple present seiyuus, present participle seiyuuing, simple past and past participle seiyuued)

1. To take on a role as a voice actor in a Japanese production, or perform a certain character in such a production.
   • 1996 June 9, kristyn lier, “Megumi Ogata Roles”, in alt.fan.sailor-moon (Usenet):

     me, i just want to know all anime that ogata has seiyuued in and who she was the voice actress for.

   • 2001 July 22, sumire, “Re: Seiyuu as Live Actors.”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

     Tomokazu Seki also appears in his theater company "Hero-Hero-Q"'s stage plays when he's not seiyuu-ing.

   • 2004 May 4, Neo-Era, “Yumiko Shaku Zaku”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

     See below, in which she cosplays as Char Aznable and the character she seiyuu'd […]