Meaning
歌 means song, to sing, and poem. It turns up everywhere — pop song titles, classical poetry anthologies, the word for opera — and has been woven into Japanese artistic life for over a thousand years.
Structurally, 歌 is a compound ideograph built from two parts. On the left is 哥, depicting repeated or prolonged sound — a nod to the repetitive, melodic nature of singing. On the right sits 欠, a pictograph of a person kneeling with their mouth open wide, originally representing yawning or exhaling. Together they picture someone throwing open their mouth and projecting sound, again and again.
With 14 strokes, 歌 is taught in Grade 2 of Japanese elementary school. Singing runs deep in Japanese culture — from school assemblies and summer festivals to kabuki theater and enka ballads — so children encounter it early. The radical is 欠 (#76), which groups kanji around open-mouth actions: yawning, sighing, vocal expression.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
On'yomi: カ (ka). This reading traces back to Middle Chinese and dominates compound words (熟語, jukugo) — especially in formal, literary, or music-related vocabulary.
- 歌手 (kashu) — singer, vocalist
- 歌詞 (kashi) — song lyrics
- 国歌 (kokka) — national anthem
- 短歌 (tanka) — classical 31-syllable poem
- 和歌 (waka) — classical Japanese poetry
- 歌劇 (kageki) — opera
- 唱歌 (shouka) — school song; choral singing
- 演歌 (enka) — traditional Japanese ballad
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Kun'yomi: うた (uta) as a noun meaning song or poem, and うたう (utau) as the verb to sing. These native readings appear when 歌 stands alone or is followed by okurigana.
- 歌 (uta) — a song; a poem
- 歌う (utau) — to sing
- 歌声 (utagoe) — singing voice
- 歌集 (kashuu) — anthology of poems or songs
Common Words & Compounds
歌 spans a wide range of vocabulary — from concert posters to poetry textbooks.
People & Roles
- 歌手 (kashu) — singer, vocalist
- 歌人 (kajin) — tanka poet; composer of classical verse
Types of Songs & Music
- 演歌 (enka) — traditional Japanese ballad, often emotionally raw
- 国歌 (kokka) — national anthem
- 唱歌 (shouka) — school song; music-class singing
- 歌謡曲 (kayoukyoku) — Japanese pop song, especially from the Showa era
- 子守歌 (komoriuta) — lullaby
Song Elements
- 歌詞 (kashi) — lyrics
- 歌声 (utagoe) — singing voice
Classical & Literary
- 和歌 (waka) — classical Japanese poetry in native Japanese (as opposed to Chinese-style verse)
- 短歌 (tanka) — 31-syllable poem in the 5-7-5-7-7 structure
- 歌集 (kashuu) — collected anthology of poems or songs
Performing Arts
- 歌劇 (kageki) — opera
- 歌舞伎 (kabuki) — traditional Japanese theater combining song, dance, and drama
Example Sentences
彼女は美しい歌を歌っています。
Kanojo wa utsukushii uta wo utatte imasu.
She is singing a beautiful song.
この歌の歌詞が好きです。
Kono uta no kashi ga suki desu.
I love the lyrics of this song.
日本の国歌は「君が代」です。
Nihon no kokka wa "Kimi ga Yo" desu.
Japan's national anthem is "Kimi ga Yo."
子どもたちは教室で歌を歌いました。
Kodomotachi wa kyoushitsu de uta wo utaimashita.
The children sang a song in the classroom.
あの歌手の歌声はとても素晴らしいです。
Ano kashu no utagoe wa totemo subarashii desu.
That singer's voice is something else.
母は毎晩、赤ちゃんに子守歌を歌ってあげます。
Haha wa maiban, akachan ni komoriuta wo utatte agemasu.
Every night, my mother sings a lullaby to the baby.
彼は演歌が好きで、よくカラオケで歌います。
Kare wa enka ga suki de, yoku karaoke de utaimasu.
He loves enka and is always at the karaoke bar.
和歌は日本の伝統的な詩の形式です。
Waka wa Nihon no dentouteki na shi no keishiki desu.
Waka is a traditional form of Japanese poetry.
その映画の主題歌を聴くと、涙が出てきます。
Sono eiga no shudaika wo kiku to, namida ga dete kimasu.
That movie's theme song always makes me tear up.
Related Kanji
- 薬 — Medicine, Drug (Kanji N4)
- 妹 — Younger Sister (Kanji N4)
- 族 — Tribe, Clan, Family Group (Kanji N4)
- 漢 — China, Han Dynasty, Man (Kanji N4)
- 広 — Wide, Broad, Spacious (Kanji N4)
- 文 — Sentence, Writing, Culture (Kanji N4)
Memory Tip
Look at the right side: 欠 shows a person opening their mouth wide — mid-song. The left side, 哥, looks like two 口 (mouth) stacked on top of each other, hinting at sounds layered and looped in a melody. Picture two people throwing their heads back, mouths wide open, belting something out together. That image is 歌.
For Vietnamese learners: the on'yomi カ (ka) matches the Hán-Việt reading CA directly — as in ca sĩ (singer) and ca hát (singing). Hear the sound, keep the link.