Ongaku (音楽)
Romaji: Onguku
Hiragana: おんがく
Katakana: オンガク
Kanji: 音楽
Music is Ongaku in Japanese. 音 means sound, and 楽 means enjoy. So the kanji “音楽” write to enjoy the sound.
・音楽をながして！
Ongaku wo nagashite!
“Play music”
・音楽を聴きたい
Ongaku wo kikitai
“I want to listen to music.”
・何の音楽が最近好きですか？
Nanno ongaku ga saikin sukidesuka?
“What kind of music do you like lately?”
Myūjikku (ミュージック)
Music is also Myūjikku (ミュージック) in Japanese Katakana. Japanese people use both Ongaku and Myūjikku as much.
More Japanese words for music
Koto (琴)
Koto
Onpu (音譜)
note
Sakkyoku (作曲)
Composition
Ensou (演奏)
Performance
Bando (バンド)
band
Suisougaku (吹奏楽)
Brass band
Yougaku (洋楽)
Western music
Hougaku (邦楽)
Japanese music
Enka (演歌)
Enka is an entertaining song based on the unique feelings and passions of the Japanese people.
Enka was originally a song that entrusted criticism of the government to the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement in Japan during the Meiji era.
Okinawan musical instrument “Sanshin”(三線)
The Sanshin is the most popular musical instrument in Okinawa and is said to have come from China around the 14th and 15th centuries.
Since the Sanshin used the skin of the python of Southeast Asia, it was called the “jabisen” (蛇皮線) on the mainland, but “Sanshin” is the correct way to call it.
For the people of Okinawa, the Sanshin is so special that it can be called a musical instrument of the heart.
In Okinawa, having a Sanshin in a room is not uncommon.
