Utau is the Japanese verb for ‘to sing’, explained

What does “utau” mean in Japanese?

There is a homophone, but native speakers say “utau” normally to mean ‘to sing’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this verb as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this verb together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “utau” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “utau”
  • Example #1: how to say “sing” in Japanese
• Utawanai: the nai form of “utau”
  • Example #2: how to say “don’t sing” in Japanese
• Utaou: the volitional form of “utau”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s sing” in Japanese
• Utaimasu: the masu form of “utau”
  • Example #4: how to say “sing” politely in Japanese
• Utatta: the ta form of “utau”
  • Example #5: how to say “sang” in Japanese
• Utatte: the te form of “utau”
  • Example #6: how to say “sing and” in Japanese
• Utaeba: the ba form of “utau”
  • Example #7: how to say “if sing” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “utau”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “utau”.

• utau – 歌う (うたう) : a verb meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “sing” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• 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.
• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “uta” to say “this song” in Japanese.
• uta – 歌 (うた) : a noun meaning ‘song’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “uta” to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “utau”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to sing’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “utau” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “utawanai”.

Utawanai: the nai form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utawanai”.

• utawanai – 歌わない (うたわない) : the nai form of “utau”, which means ‘not to sing’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “utawanai” consists of the following two parts:

• utawa – 歌わ (うたわ) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utawanai” is literally the nai form of “utau” and means ‘not to sing’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “don’t sing” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “uta” to say “that song” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utawanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to sing’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Utaou: the volitional form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utaou”.

• utaou – 歌おう (うたおう) : the volitional form of “utau”, which expresses volition to sing.

Grammatically, “utaou” consists of the following two parts:

• utao – 歌お (うたお) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
• u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utaou” is literally the volitional form of “utau” and expresses volition to sing. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s sing” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• nihon – 日本 (にほん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “nihon” and “uta”. The formed phrase literally means ‘Japanese songs’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utaou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s sing” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.

Utaimasu: the masu form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utaimasu”.

• utaimasu – 歌います (うたいます) : the masu form of “utau”, which means ‘to sing’ politely in Japanese.

Grammatically, “utaimasu” consists of the following two parts:

• utai – 歌い (うたい) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utaimasu” is literally the masu form of “utau” and means ‘to sing’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “sing” politely in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• tamani – たまに : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘occasionally’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utaimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sound polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “sing” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.

Utatta: the ta form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utatta”.

• utatta – 歌った (うたった) : the ta form of “utau”, which means ‘sang’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “utatta” consists of the following two parts:

• utat – 歌っ (うたっ) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utatta” is literally the ta form of “utau” and means ‘sang’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “sang” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to say where “kanojo tachi” sang the song.

This is a typical usage of “utatta”. When we want to say “sang” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.

Utatte: the te form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utatte”.

• utatte – 歌って (うたって) : the te form of “utau”, which means ‘to sing’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “utatte” consists of the following two parts:

• utat – 歌っ (うたっ) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utatte” is literally the te form of “utau”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “utatte” is very useful when we want to use “utau” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #6: how to say “sing and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• 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 “kodomo tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• odoru – 踊る (おどる) : a verb meaning ‘to dance’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utatte”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “odoru”. When we want to use “utau” in front of another verb, its te form is very useful.

Utaeba: the ba form of “utau”

Below are the definition and meaning of “utaeba”.

• utaeba – 歌えば (うたえば) : the ba form of “utau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “utaeba” consists of the following two parts:

• utae – 歌え (うたえ) : one conjugation of “utau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “utaeba” is literally the ba form of “utau”. In Japanese, ba-formed words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “utaeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sing’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #7: how to say “if sing” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ii – 良い (いい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’, ‘well’, or such in Japanese.
• kibun – 気分 (きぶん) : a noun meaning ‘feeling’ or such in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “ii kibun” to say what the listener’s feeling will become.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to get’, ‘to turn’, or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utaeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kono uta wo utaeba”, which means ‘if you sing this song’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sing’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “utau” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• utau – 歌う (うたう) : a verb meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.
• utawanai – 歌わない (うたわない) : the nai form of “utau”, which means ‘not to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaou – 歌おう (うたおう) : the volitional form of “utau”, which expresses volition to sing.
• utaimasu – 歌います (うたいます) : the masu form of “utau”, which means ‘to sing’ politely in Japanese.
• utatta – 歌った (うたった) : the ta form of “utau”, which means ‘sang’ in Japanese.
• utatte – 歌って (うたって) : the te form of “utau”, which means ‘to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaeba – 歌えば (うたえば) : the ba form of “utau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to sing’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.