song, sing
On'yomi (音読み)
- カ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- うた.う
- うた
About this kanji
The kanji 「歌」 primarily means "song" or "to sing." It is often used as a noun, referring to songs in general, or as a verb meaning "to sing." For example, the word 歌手 (かしゅ) means "singer," combining the kanji with another character that signifies a person. Another common term is 歌う (うたう), which is the action of singing itself. Additionally, 歌詞 (かし) refers to "lyrics," the words of a song. It's interesting to note that while the kanji is often associated with singing, it can also evoke cultural aspects of music and expression in Japanese society.
Built from
Example sentences
彼女は美しい歌を歌った。
She sang a beautiful song.
Meanings across languages
- English
- song, sing
- Tiếng Việt
- bài hát, hát
- 日本語
- 歌, 歌う
- 한국어
- 노래, 부르다
- 中文
- 歌曲, 唱
- id
- lagu, menyanyi
- th
- เพลง, ร้องเพลง
- es
- canción, cantar
- fr
- chanson, chanter
- de
- Lied, singen
- pt
- canção, cantar
Common compounds
- 歌手かしゅsinger
- 歌ううたうto sing
- 歌詞かしlyrics
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.