Back to dictionary
JLPT N312画 · 12 strokesradical 弓grade 6freq #1100

perform, play music

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ソウ
  • ショウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • かな.でる
  • そう.する

Mnemonic

As the archer draws his bow (弓) to perform (奏) a beautiful melody, the music fills the air with vibrant notes.

About this kanji

The kanji 奏 primarily means 'to perform' or 'to play music.' It can be used as a verb with the kun'yomi reading かな.でる, or as a noun in various compounds. A common compound is 演奏 (えんそう), which means 'performance,' often referring to musical performances. Another is 作奏 (さくそう), meaning 'composition,' used when talking about creating music. You might also come across 奏楽 (そうがく), which translates to 'orchestration,' referring to arranging music for an orchestra. Note that while 奏 is closely associated with music, it also carries a sense of performing or presenting something in various contexts.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 彼女はピアノを奏でる。

    She plays the piano.

Meanings across languages

English
perform, play music
Tiếng Việt
biểu diễn, chơi nhạc
日本語
演奏する, 奏でる
한국어
연주하다, 음악을 연주하다
中文
表演, 演奏音乐
id
melakukan, memainkan musik
th
แสดง, เล่นดนตรี
es
interpretar, tocar música
fr
interpréter, jouer de la musique
de
aufführen, Musik spielen
pt
executar, tocar música

Common compounds

  • 演奏えんそうperformance, musical performance
  • 作奏さくそうcomposition, musical composition
  • 奏楽そうがくorchestration, musical performance

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.