歌うたう

う

た

う

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-u), transitive verb, intransitive verb

sing

General term for singing a song, melody, or vocal performance. Can be used transitively or intransitively.

彼かの女じょは毎まい日にちシャワーを浴あびながら歌うたう。
She sings every day while taking a shower.
カラオケで好すきな曲きょくを歌うたった。
I sang my favorite song at karaoke.

2

godan verb (-u), transitive verb

compose poetry; recite a poem; sing of

Used for expressing emotions or scenes through poetry, especially waka or haiku. Often implies a lyrical, elevated tone. The kanji 詠う is particularly associated with this sense.

彼かれは恋こいの喜よろこびを歌うたった短たん歌かを詠よんだ。
He composed a tanka singing of the joy of love.
春はるの美うつくしさを歌うたう俳はい句くを一ひとつ詠よんでみた。
I tried composing a haiku that sings of the beauty of spring.

Written forms

歌うたうUsage77%
Standard kanji for singing and poetic recitation.
うたうUsage17%
唄うたうUsage4%
Often used for traditional Japanese songs or folk songs.
唱うたうUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; sometimes seen in older texts for chanting or singing.
詠うたうUsage1%
Used specifically for composing or reciting poetry, especially waka or haiku.

Kanji

歌song, sing
唄song, ballad
唱chant, recite, call upon
詠

Similar words

唄うた
唄 is a noun meaning 'song', often traditional or folk. 歌う is the verb 'to sing'.
詠よむ
詠む is another verb for composing poetry, but 歌う emphasizes the lyrical, singing-like quality of the recitation or composition.

Etymology

The verb うたう is native Japanese. The kanji 歌 is used for general singing, while 唄, 詠, and 唱 are specialized variants for traditional song, poetry, and chanting respectively.

recitation, poem, song