Do you want to easily learn Japanese vocabulary and significantly improve your pronunciation at the same time? Try analyzing Japanese music that you find enjoyable.

 

Some might point out that song lyrics are very different from everyday speech. However, I believe that they can be an effective language learning tool being that you can still learn vocabulary, conjugation and pronunciation from them!

 

So, for those of you who are more advanced learners, you can sit back, relax and sing like a native speaker!

 

Here, you can learn at least fifty-seven words by singing along to a great song called ラブストーリーは突然に by 小田和正 (Kazumasa Oda). I posted a YouTube video of the song here for this article. Please excuse my singing and guitar playing! I recently injured my wrists, so I’ve kept the guitar parts simple.

 

As for the lyrics, I’ll go through each of them and highlight any useful vocabulary in the tables below. I recommend adding any words that are new for you to digital flashcards like Brainscape or Memrise.

 

So, let’s have a look at the song!

 

Line #1

 

  • Original Japanese: 何から伝えればいいのか 分からないまま時は流れて  
  • My interpretation: “Time goes by without knowing what to tell you first.”  
      

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

何

なに

what

-

〜から

-

from 〜

-

伝える

つたえる

to tell

-

分からない

わからない

don’t know

分かる (to understand)

時

とき

time

-

流れる

ながれる

to pass/flow

-

 

*words that are bolded in the table are those that are frequently used.

 

Line #2

 

  • Original Japanese: 浮かんでは消えてゆく ありふれた言葉だけ
  • My interpretation: “Mundane words appear, then disappear.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

浮かぶ

うかぶ

to float, appear

-

消える

きえる

to fade, disappear

-

ありふれた

-

mundane, common

-

言葉

ことば

word(s)

-

だけ

-

only

-

 

Line #3

 

  • Original Japanese: 君があんまりすてきだから ただすなおに好きと言えないで
  • My interpretation: “‘Cause you are just so beautiful, I can’t simply tell you that I love you.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

君

きみ

you

Informal

あんまり/あまり

-

very/too

Often used in negative sentences, such as: あんまり好きじゃない

素敵

すてき

lovely/beautiful

-

～だから

-

because 〜

-

ただ

-

just

-

素直に

すなおに

frankly, honestly

素直な (honest, frank)

好き

すき

to like/love

-

言えない

いえない

Can’t say/tell

言う (to say/tell)

 

Line #4

 

  • Orginal Japanese: 多分もうすぐ 雨も止んで二人たそがれ
  • My interpretation: “It’ll probably stop raining soon, and we’ll fade into twilight.”

 

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

多分

たぶん

probably

-

もうすぐ

-

soon

-

雨

あめ

rain (noun)

雨が降る (to rain)

止む

やむ

to stop

-

二人

ふたり

a pair, a couple

一人(ひとり) (a person)

たそがれ

-

twilight

-

 

Line #5

 

  • Original Japanese: あの日あの時あの場所で 君に会えなかったら  
  • My interpretation: “If I hadn’t met you there on that day, at that time,”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

日

ひ

day

あの日(on that day)

場所

ばしょ

place

あの場所で (at that place)

会う

あう

to meet

-

 

Line #6

 

  • Original Japanese: 僕等はいつまでも 見知らぬ二人のまま
  • My interpretation: “we could have been strangers forever.”

 

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

僕ら

ぼくら

we

Used by men

いつまでも

-

for good

-

見知らぬ

みしらぬ

unknown

-

〜のまま

-

to remain as 〜

-

 

Line #7

 

  • Original Japanese: 誰かが甘く誘う言葉にもう心揺れたりしないで
  • My interpretation: “Don’t be lured by sweet words from someone else.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

誰か

だれか

someone

-

甘く

あまく

sweetly

甘い (sweet)

誘う

さそう

to lure, tempt

-

心

こころ

heart

-

揺れる

ゆれる

to sway, shake

-

 

Line #8

 

  • Original Japanese: 切ないけど そんなふうに心は縛れない
  • My interpretation: “It hurts but I shouldn’t tie you up like that.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

切ない

せつない

sorrowful, painful

In a relationship

〜けど

-

because 〜

-

そんなふうに

-

like that

-

縛る

しばる

to tie

-

 

Line #9

 

  • Original Japanese: 明日になれば君をきっと 今よりもっと好きになる
  • My interpretation: “Tomorrow I’ll love you even more.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

明日

あした

tomorrow

-

〜になる

-

to become 〜

-

きっと

-

surely

-

今

いま

now

-

〜より

-

than

Comparative

もっと

-

more

Adds emphasis when used in conjunction with a comparative

 

Line #10

 

  • Original Japanese: そのすべてが僕のなかで 時を超えてゆく  
  • My interpretation: “All my thoughts travel beyond time.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

すべて

-

everything, all

-

〜のなかで

-

inside

-

〜を超える

〜をこえる

to go beyond 〜

-

 

Line #11

 

  • Original Japanese: 君のためにつばさになる　君を守りつづける
  • My interpretation: “I’ll be your wings and I’ll always protect you.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

〜のために

-

for 〜

-

つばさ

-

wings

-

守る

まもる

to protect

守り続ける (to keep protecting)

つづける

-

to continue

 

Line #12

 

  • Original Japanese:やわらかく君をつつむ　あの風になる  
  • My interpretation: “I’ll be the breeze, holding you gently.”

Vocabulary

ひらがな

English

Notes/comments

やわらかく

-

softly (adverb)

やわらかい (soft)

つつむ

-

to hold, wrap

-

風

かぜ

wind, breeze

-


That’s all for now! I put a lot of work into this article, so please share with your fellow Japanese learners. I’m planning on creating more articles about songs in the future, so stay tuned!

 

Cheers!

 

Image Sources

 

Hero Image by BreakingTheWalls (CC0)