Common word› JLPT N5 › Freq. Frequency Top 2,000 Conjugation 歌う · godan verb (-u)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 歌うた う 歌うた わない Polite 歌うた います 歌うた いません Past polite 歌うた いました 歌うた いませんでした Past 歌うた った 歌うた わなかった Te-form 歌うた って 歌うた わないで Desire 歌うた いたい 歌うた いたくない Potential 歌うた える 歌うた えない Passive 歌うた われる 歌うた われない Causative 歌うた わせる 歌うた わせない Causative passive 歌うた わせられる also 歌うた わされる 歌うた わせられない also 歌うた わされない Volitional 歌うた おう Polite volitional 歌うた いましょう Imperative 歌うた え 歌うた うな Conditional 歌うた えば 歌うた わなければ Tara conditional 歌うた ったら 歌うた わなかったら
Usage patterns 大おお 声ごえ で 歌うた う to sing loudly
He sang loudly at karaoke.
〈 事こと 〉 を 歌うた う to sing of/express something (in poetry)
The poet sang of the beauty of nature.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 で 歌うた う to sing at/in a place
I sang with my friends at karaoke.
一いっ 曲きょく 歌うた う to sing a song (one number)
She sang a song on stage.
声こえ を 張は って 歌うた う to sing with full voice/strain
He sang the national anthem at full volume.
Kanji 唱 chant, recite, call upon Transitive / intransitive 歌う is used both transitively and intransitively: transitively as in 「歌を歌う」 (to sing a song), and intransitively as in 「彼女は美しく歌う」 (She sings beautifully), where no object is stated.
Related words 詠む is used specifically for composing or reciting waka/haiku poetry, while 歌う (sense 2) emphasizes the lyrical, song-like quality of that recitation.
口ずさむ means to hum or sing softly to oneself, whereas 歌う is the neutral, general verb for singing aloud.
歌唱する is a formal, often written or technical term for singing (e.g. in music education), while 歌う is the everyday word.
歌う is the plain verb 'to sing', while 歌い出す specifically highlights the sudden or spontaneous moment of starting to sing.
歌う is the plain, everyday verb 'to sing', whereas 唱歌する carries a more formal or dated feel.
Don't confuse with 唄 is a noun meaning 'song' (often traditional or folk), while 歌う is the verb 'to sing'; they share the same sound but different word classes.
歌う means 'to sing' and is unrelated in meaning to 謳う , which means 'to extol' or 'to declare'; they are distinguished only by kanji since both share the same reading.
Word family· 16 singer; vocalist · online amateur singer; utaite
sing at the top of one's voice; belt out · express fully in a poem; praise in poetry
break into song; burst into song; begin singing
female entertainer who sings and dances
lesser cuckoo
Show 7 more Show fewer sing a tune; sing a song
rejoice and sing; sing for joy
singing while playing an instrument; singing to one's own accompaniment
opening line; first bars
sing together; sing responsively
manner of singing; singing style; vocal delivery
put into song; express in verse · sing many times; practice a song repeatedly
See all 16 in Explore →
Written forms 歌うた う Usage 77%
Standard kanji for singing and poetic recitation.
うたう Usage 17%
唄うた う Usage 4%
Often used for traditional Japanese songs or folk songs.
唱うた う Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; sometimes seen in older texts for chanting or singing.
詠うた う Usage 1%
Used specifically for composing or reciting poetry, especially waka or haiku.
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.
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