is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word owarai is the honorific form of the word warai (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". Owarai is most common on Japanese variety shows and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin or owarai tarento. Presently Japan is considered to be in an "owarai boom", and many minor talents have been finding sudden fame after a gag or skit became popular. Characteristics Manzai (), a traditional form of Japanese comedy that became the basis of many modern acts today, is characterized by a pair of usually older male comedians acting certain roles in a constant comedic battle against themselves. This tradition is continued in the acts of many modern talents. While there are many women talents, they are largely outnumbered by the men, and they tend to take more minor roles. Whereas manzai performers traditionally wore kimono (traditional Japanese dress), these days a western suit is the outfit of choice for many owarai kombi (, combination; referring to a pair of comedians in a unit) and many talents who begin their careers performing in a style very similar to stand-up comedy, usually including aspects of manzai and conte. Some minor characteristics include frequently used sound effects (cheap, old-fashioned sound effects are used intentionally for comic effect), dajare (, a Japanese-style pun), and dokkiri (, a hidden-camera prank like those seen in the popular American show Candid Camera). Owarai geinin On television, most owarai geinin are introduced using their kombi name (e.g. Yoiko Hamaguchi) and some geinin even retain the name of their former groups after they have parted ways. A few popular kombi include: Tunnels Downtown Ninety-nine Bakushō Mondai Gokuraku Tombo Cocorico Kyaeen Audrey Untouchable Impulse Othello, a rare female kombi Cream Stew Summers Neptune Jichō Kachō Sandwichman Speed Wagon TIM Tutorial Penalty Yoiko Rahmens Regular Many owarai units have names based on English words or phrases. Kombi are usually included as guests for shows, though some (namely Downtown, Cream Stew, and Ninety-nine) often act as hosts as well. Some popular talents that usually don't perform in units are: Ken Shimura Sanma Akashiya Tamori Beat Takeshi Cha Katō Shinsuke Shimada Tetsurō Degawa Egashira 2:50 George Tokoro Teruyoshi Uchimura Daimaou Kosaka Koriki Chōshū Hiroshi Tsutomu Sekine Takashi Fujii Michiko Shimizu Hori Sayaka Aoki, another rare female act Tomonori Jinnai Chihara Junior Of