Translation guide
A traditional song passed down orally within a community, often reflecting local culture, work, or customs.
A song originating from and preserved by the common people of a region, often with unknown authorship.
The standard term for a traditional folk song, especially those from specific regions of Japan or other countries.
I like singing Japanese folk songs.
Many old folk songs remain in this region.
Loanword from English, often used for Western-style folk music or modern folk songs, including those by singer-songwriters.
A literary or academic term for folk songs, emphasizing their rustic, local origin. Rarely used in everyday conversation.
A song sung by workers to coordinate labor or relieve monotony, often tied to specific tasks like farming, fishing, or construction.
A general term for work songs, including those sung during manual labor.
The fishermen pulled the nets while singing a work song.
Specifically refers to labor songs, often with a focus on the working class or union movements, but can also mean traditional work songs.
Many folk songs (民謡) are work songs, so this term can be used when the context is clear.
A traditional song for children, often used in games or as lullabies.
Refers to children's songs, including both traditional folk songs for children and modern composed songs for children. For purely traditional ones, わらべうた is more specific.
My grandmother sang me a children's folk song.
Specifically traditional children's songs passed down orally, often associated with games and play.
民謡 (min'yō) typically refers to traditional, often anonymous folk songs from a specific region, while フォークソング (fōku songu) is used for Western-style folk music or modern folk songs by known artists. Use 民謡 for Japanese traditional songs and フォークソング for artists like Bob Dylan or modern Japanese folk singers.
I learned a Japanese folk song.
She collects folk songs from around the world.
He loves American folk songs.
This folk song has been passed down since the Edo period.
炭鉱の労働歌は過酷な労働を反映している。
The coal miners' work songs reflect the harsh labor.
この民謡は田植えの時に歌われた。
This folk song was sung during rice planting.
Let's play with traditional children's songs.