bokes

Boke is a term in Japanese comedy referring to the role of the "funny man" in a two-person stand-up act called manzai. The boke is typically the oblivious, silly, or blundering partner who makes unintentional misstatements or nonsensical observations. The other performer, the tsukkomi, counters the boke's remarks with a direct, corrective, or retorting response, creating rapid back-and-forth jokes. The humor often relies on miscommunication, wordplay, puns, and the boke's literal-minded interpretations of everyday situations.

Etymology and origins: The word boke derives from the Japanese verb bokeru "to blunder" and is used to describe a "blunder" or "mistake." In the manzai tradition, which flourished in the Kansai region (notably Osaka) in the 20th century, the boke-tsukkomi dynamic became the standard interplay.

Usage and variation: Boke is used to describe a persona on stage or in media. Performers may switch roles or vary the pace and type of humor, but the boke-tsukkomi formula remains a core feature of traditional and contemporary manzai. The term also appears in English-language discussions of Japanese humor, where it is used to describe this specific comedic dynamic.

See also: Manzai, tsukkomi, Japanese humor.