役目

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The written form is 役目, read やくめ. This noun denotes an assigned role or function and can apply to a person’s duty or a machine’s service.
• Basic usage: 私の役目 identifies a person’s specific duty, while 役目を終える describes a machine completing its long service.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A person’s duty
  • Showing visitors to the conference room is the speaker’s assigned role. Example: 私の役目は来客を会議室へ案内することだ。 — My role is to show visitors to the conference room.
• A machine’s completed service
  • The old machine is moved away after completing its long service. Example: 古い機械は長い役目を終えて倉庫へ運ばれた。 — After completing its long service, the old machine was moved to the warehouse.