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.
日本の民謡を歌うのが好きです。
I like singing Japanese folk songs.
この地方には古い民謡がたくさん残っている。
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.
彼はアメリカのフォークソングが大好きだ。
He loves American folk songs.
A literary or academic term for folk songs, emphasizing their rustic, local origin. Rarely used in everyday conversation.
この俚謡は江戸時代から伝わる。
This folk song has been passed down since the Edo period.
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.
漁師たちは作業歌を歌いながら網を引いた。
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.
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.
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.
祖母が童謡を歌ってくれた。
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.
日本の民謡を習いました。
I learned a Japanese folk song.
彼女は世界中の民謡を集めている。
She collects folk songs from around the world.
この民謡は田植えの時に歌われた。
This folk song was sung during rice planting.
わらべ歌で遊びましょう。
Let's play with traditional children's songs.