Japanese symbol for “sing”
歌う
うたう
Romaji: utau
to sing
In Japanese, sing is 歌う, read うたう (utau).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5u, vi, vt to sing
- v5u, vt to sing of (love, beauty, etc.) in a poem; to express in the form of a poem; to recite (a poem)
Written forms: 歌う、唄う、詠う、唱う. Readings: うたう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sing”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鳴く | なく naku | to make sound (of an animal); to call; to cry |
| 囀る | さえずる saezuru | to sing; to chirp; to twitter |
| 吟じる | ぎんじる ginjiru | to chant; to sing; to recite |
| 吟ずる | ぎんずる ginzuru | to chant; to recite; to sing |
| 集く | すだく sudaku | to chirp (of a swarm of insects); to sing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 歌詞 | かし kashi | song lyrics; words of a song; libretto |
| 歌声 | うたごえ utagoe | singing voice; (sound of) singing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sing”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.