Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

Utau (歌う) means to sing, and in Japan it is not merely a musical act — it is a social ritual woven into school life, family gatherings, and the beloved institution of karaoke, where the word comes fully alive.

Utau (歌う) is a godan verb meaning ‘to sing.’ It takes a song as its object: uta o utau (歌を歌う, to sing a song) — a construction where the noun and verb share the same root, which is common in Japanese. The verb conjugates as follows: polite present utaimasu, negative utawanai, past utatta, te-form utatte. The related noun uta (歌) means ‘song’ or ‘poem,’ reflecting that in classical Japanese, singing and poetry were inseparable. Utau is used for all forms of vocal music — solo singing, choir, humming a melody, singing a lullaby, or belting a pop song at karaoke. A related expression is kuchizusamu (口ずさむ), meaning to hum or sing softly to oneself, which is more restrained and intimate than the full-voiced utau.

How to Use It

One thing that surprises learners is uta o utau — singing a song — where the object and the verb share the same root. This kind of cognate object construction (dōmoku kōbun) is perfectly natural in Japanese and shouldn’t be avoided. Also note that the te-form utatte is used in commands and requests: Utatte kudasai (Please sing) or Utatte kurenai? (Could you sing for me?). The potential form is utaeru (can sing): Nihongo no uta ga utaeru yō ni naritai (I want to be able to sing songs in Japanese).

Kanji Breakdown

歌う is written with 歌 (uta) plus the verb ending う. 歌 combines 哥 (an older form meaning ‘song’) on the left and 欠 (ketsu, meaning ‘to open one’s mouth’ or ‘to lack’) on the right — the right side depicts a person kneeling with open mouth, an image of someone vocalizing. The character appears in 国歌 (kokka, national anthem), 歌手 (kashu, singer), and 歌詞 (kashi, song lyrics). Recognizing this kanji immediately identifies music-related vocabulary.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Karaoke (カラオケ) is the social context where utau reaches its fullest cultural expression in Japan. Originating in Kobe in the early 1970s and spreading globally through the 1980s and 90s, karaoke in Japan is less about performance talent and more about participation and connection. Private karaoke rooms (karaoke bokkusu) allow groups to sing together without an audience, lowering the stakes and making singing accessible to people who would never take a stage. The phrase ichiban utaitai uta (the song I most want to sing) is a genuine question at a karaoke outing.

School life in Japan is saturated with communal singing. The annual gassho konkūru (合唱コンクール, choir competition) is a fixture of middle school culture, where classes compete by singing together — an event that generates as much social anxiety and pride as any sports tournament. Students spend weeks practicing their assigned piece, with the process of learning to sing in unison often remembered decades later as a defining memory of youth. Utau in this context is less about individual voice and more about harmony.

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