唱歌(しょうか)

しょうか
noun
school song; singing (as a school subject)
educationleisure
1. school song; children's song for music education
Songs composed or selected for use in school music education, particularly those from the Meiji through early Showa periods that became part of Japan's cultural heritage.
懐(なつ)かしい唱歌(しょうか)を歌(うた)った。
I sang a nostalgic school song.
「故郷(ふるさと)」は日本(にほん)を代表(だいひょう)する唱歌(しょうか)だ。
'Furusato' is a representative Japanese school song.
祖母(そぼ)は子供(こども)の頃(ころ)に習(なら)った唱歌(しょうか)を今(いま)でも覚(おぼ)えている。
My grandmother still remembers the school songs she learned as a child.
2. singing; vocal music (as a school subject)
The school subject of singing, historically used in Japanese education before being replaced by the broader term 音楽 (music).
明治時代(めいじじだい)の学校(がっこう)では唱歌(しょうか)の授業(じゅぎょう)があった。
Schools in the Meiji era had singing classes.
唱歌(しょうか)の時間(じかん)が一番(いちばん)好(す)きだった。
Singing class was my favorite.
「唱歌(しょうか)」という科目名(かもくめい)は戦後(せんご)「音楽(おんがく)」に変(か)わった。
The subject name 'shōka' was changed to 'ongaku' (music) after the war.

A compound of 唱(しょう) (to chant, to sing) and 歌(か) (song). Historically, 唱歌(しょうか) referred to both the songs used in school music education and the subject itself. Many 唱歌(しょうか) from the Meiji and Taisho periods, such as 「故郷(ふるさと)」 and 「春(はる)の小川(おがわ)」, are deeply beloved and widely known across generations.

Common collocations

  • 唱歌(しょうか)を歌(うた)う: to sing a school song
  • 文部省(もんぶしょう)唱歌(しょうか): Ministry of Education-approved songs — the official designation for songs in prewar textbooks
  • 懐(なつ)かしの唱歌(しょうか): nostalgic school songs

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 童謡(どうよう) (children's song, nursery rhyme)
Compare: 歌曲(かきょく) (art song, vocal piece)
Compare: 合唱(がっしょう) (chorus, choral singing)
Compare: わらべうた (children's folk song)
general
Added 2026.4.2 1:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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