What does “ongaku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “ongaku” to mean ‘music’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, and conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “ongaku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “ongaku”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ongaku”.
- ongaku – 音楽 (おんがく) : a noun meaning ‘music’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also mean ‘song’, ‘tune’, ‘track’, or such.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to a collection of sounds which often makes us pleased, relaxed, excited, or hyped. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “music”, I think.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Ongaku in kanji
The kanji expression of “ongaku” consists of the following two characters:
- 音 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘sound’ or ‘music’.
- 楽 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘joy’, ‘fun’, or ‘comfort’ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “tanoshii“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “ongaku” literally means ‘joy of sound’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. Music is often a collection of sounds which makes us joyful. Honestly, I love this concept of music in the Japanese language.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ongaku” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “ongaku” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “music” in Japanese
nan no ongaku ga suki desu ka – 何の音楽が好きですか (なんのおんがくがすきですか)
What music do you like?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- nan – 何 (なん) : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese. This often works in Japanese “what” questions.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “nan” and “ongaku”. The formed phrase literally means ‘what music’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “nan no ongaku” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to like’ in Japanese.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.
This is a typical usage of “ongaku”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “nan no ongaku”, to say “what music” in Japanese. When we want to say “music” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “ongaku”
boku wa kanojo no ongaku ga totemo suki desu – 僕は彼女の音楽がとても好きです (ぼくはかのじょのおんがくがとてもすきです)
I love her music very much.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “suki” to emphasize its meaning.
This is another typical usage of “ongaku”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kanojo no ongaku”, to say “her music” in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ongaku” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ongaku – 音楽 (おんがく) : a noun meaning ‘music’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also mean ‘song’, ‘tune’, ‘track’, or such. Native speakers use this to refer to a collection of sounds which often makes us pleased, relaxed, excited, or hyped. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “music”. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘joy of sound’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. Music is often a collection of sounds which makes us joyful. Honestly, I love this concept of music in the Japanese language.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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