Ongaku is the Japanese word for ‘music’, explained

What does “ongaku” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use ongaku often to mean ‘music’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 understand ongaku more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “ongaku”
• Ongaku in kanji
  • How to say “music” in Japanese
  • Another example of “ongaku”
• Summary

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 context and situation, this can also mean a ‘song’, ‘tune’, ‘track’, or such.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a collection of sounds which often makes them 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 kanji characters:

• 音 : a kanji character widely used to mean a ‘sound’ or ‘music’. This kanji can also be found in other words like yami.
• 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 and tanoshimu.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that ongaku literally means ‘joy of sounds’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Music is often a collection of sounds which makes us feel happy. I love this kanji concept.

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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of ongaku through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of ongaku together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “music” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• nan – 何 (なん) : an interrogative pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese. This is often used to make Japanese what questions.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works 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) : the stem part 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 Japanese. In the example, 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 mean ‘what music’ in Japanese.

Another example of “ongaku”

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 in front of suki to emphasize its meaning.

This is another example of ongaku. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, kanojo no ongaku, to mean ‘her music’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘music’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.

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 context and situation, this can also mean a ‘song’, ‘tune’, ‘track’, or such. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to a collection of sounds which often makes them 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 sounds’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Music is often a collection of sounds which makes us feel happy. I love this kanji concept.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.