KT44 Word Line
やくぶそく
役不足
Yakubusoku
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Meaning
a role beneath one's ability
Of an assigned role, too minor for the person's ability.
Example
彼女に議事録係では役不足だ。
Taking minutes is a role too small for her.
Origin
It originally meant being dissatisfied with the role one had been given. Using it to mean the role is too much for oneself is not the original usage. In the Agency for Cultural Affairs public opinion survey on the Japanese language, the share choosing "a role too heavy for one's ability" fell from 62.8% in fiscal Heisei 14 (2002) to 48.9% in fiscal Reiwa 6 (2024), while the original "too light" rose from 27.6% to 45.1%.