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元歌 (もとうた) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

元もと歌うた

も

と

う

た

Meanings

1

noun

original song

Refers to the original version of a song, as opposed to a cover, remix, or parody.

この曲きょくの元もと歌うたは70年ねん代だいのフォークソングです。
The original song for this piece is a 1970s folk song.
カバーより元もと歌うたのほうが好すきだ。
I prefer the original song to the cover.

Kanji

元beginning, former time, origin
歌song, sing

Similar words

原げん曲きょく
原曲 also means 'original song' or 'original piece', but is more common and neutral. 元歌 is less frequent and may carry a nuance of tracing back to an earlier source, sometimes used in contexts like parody or sampling.

Etymology

Compound of 元 (moto, 'origin') and 歌 (uta, 'song'). The reading もとうた is a straightforward kun'yomi combination.