Dialogues in the Mokuami-cho tone are called 'Yaku-harai' (a 7-5 arrangement of syllables set to music in a special lilting rhythm) in the kabuki terminology, which are spoken in the rhythmical seven-five syllable meter, exploiting rhetorical devices for waka poetry such as Kakekotoba (a type of pun that uses a word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings) and Engo (a related or associated word), and a monologue or a dialogue among a plurality of actors spoken in the Mokuami-cho tone can produce a similar effect to that of an aria or duet in an opera.
歌舞伎界では「厄払い」と呼ばれ、リズミカルな七五調に掛詞・縁語を駆使し、一人で或いは複数で語ることでオペラのアリアや二重唱のような効果を上げている。