How do you say "music" in Japanese?

音楽

ongaku

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "music" is 音楽 (ongaku).

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Pronunciation

音楽 is written using kanji. Romanised as ongaku, it sounds roughly like "oh-n-gah-koo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Ongaku pairs 音 (sound) with 楽 (music/enjoyment). Sound for enjoyment becomes music.

Example sentence

音楽はどこにありますか？

Ongaku wa doko ni arimasu ka?

Where is the music?

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How to remember 音楽

Sound entertainment. Organized sounds creating pleasure.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more school words.

Questions about 音楽

How do you pronounce 音楽?

音楽 is romanised as ongaku. Say it roughly like "oh-n-gah-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 音楽 formal or casual?

音楽 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 音楽 written in Japanese?

音楽 is written using kanji. Ongaku pairs 音 (sound) with 楽 (music/enjoyment).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Music" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.

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