歌
歌 — Song
song, sing
On’yomiカ (ka)
Kun’yomiうた (uta)
Kun’yomiうたう (utau)
Stroke order (14 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 歌
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歌 | うた uta | song; singing; classical Japanese poem (esp. tanka) |
| 歌手 | かしゅ kashu | singer |
| 歌舞伎 | かぶき kabuki | kabuki; traditional form of drama and music performed by male actors wearing makeup mainly in white and red |
| 短歌 | たんか tanka | tanka; 31-mora Japanese poem |
| 歌劇 | かげき kageki | opera |
| 歌人 | かじん kajin | poet (of tanka poems) |
Study notes
歌 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #519 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.