(うたごえ)

うたごえ
noun
singing voice; sound of singing
1. singing voice; sound of singing
The sound of a person singing, or a person's voice as it sounds when singing. Can refer to both the quality of the voice and the sound of singing heard from a distance.
(うつく)しい歌声(うたごえ)()こえる。
A beautiful singing voice can be heard.
彼女(かのじょ)歌声(うたごえ)聴衆(ちょうしゅう)魅了(みりょう)された。
The audience was captivated by her singing voice.
教会(きょうかい)から()どもたちの元気(げんき)歌声(うたごえ)(ひび)いてきた。
The cheerful singing voices of children rang out from the church.

A compound of (うた) (song) + (こえ/ごえ) (voice). A poetic and evocative word that captures both the quality of a singer's voice and the ambient sound of singing.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • (うつく)しい歌声(うたごえ): beautiful singing voice
  • 歌声(うたごえ)(ひび)く: a singing voice resounds
  • 歌声(うたごえ)()こえる: a singing voice can be heard
  • 歌声(うたごえ)()せられる: to be enchanted by a singing voice
  • 歌声(うたごえ)喫茶(きっさ): singing cafe (a type of cafe popular in the Showa era)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • (こえ): voice — the general word for voice
  • 歌唱力(かしょうりょく): singing ability — focuses on skill rather than the sound itself
  • 声量(せいりょう): vocal volume/power — a technical aspect of voice quality

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
歌声(うたごえ)喫茶(きっさ) were cafes popular in the 1950s-60s where customers sang together, a precursor to modern karaoke. The 歌声(うたごえ)運動(うんどう) (singing movement) was a postwar cultural movement that promoted group singing.