いい曲
ii kyoku
The English phrase "good song" is expressed in Japanese as いい曲 (ii kyoku).
いい曲 is used to describe a piece of music that is pleasing to listen to or is of high quality.
Which one should you use?
While いい曲 refers to a musical composition or piece generally, いい歌 is used when you want to specifically emphasize the singing or the lyrics.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, the informal phrase ええやん can be used to say "it's good," which can be applied when describing songs.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can use いい曲 in several ways within a sentence. Adding the particle が to the end, as in いい曲が, marks the song as the subject. Using the particle を, as in いい曲を, marks the song as the direct object of a verb, such as listening to it. To make it a complete sentence meaning "It is a good song," you can add the copula だ to the end: いい曲だ.
How do you pronounce it?
ii kyoku
Did you know?
- The word 曲 is a homonym that also means 'bend' or 'curve', and it is used to describe everything from a musical piece to a corner in a street.
- When praising a song's quality, Japanese speakers often use the word 名曲 (meikyoku), which translates to 'masterpiece' or 'famous song'. This is a more sophisticated way to express that a song is not just 'good' but of exceptional, lasting value.
- In Japanese, it is common to distinguish between the 曲 (the composition) and the 歌詞 (the lyrics) when praising a song.
Examples in context
- 聴いてみたら、いい曲だと思ったんだ。When I listened to it, I thought it was a good song.
- この曲、カッコいいよね！This song is cool, right?
- 最近見つけた、最高の曲があるんだ。I found the best song recently!
- これは本当にいい曲ですね。Kore wa hontō ni ii kyoku desu ne.This is a really good song.
- そのアーティストのいい曲を教えて。Sono ātisuto no ii kyoku o oshiete.Tell me some good songs by that artist.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are listening to music together.
- 結衣 Yui蓮、このいい曲を聴いて！Ren, kono ii kyoku o kiite!Ren, listen to this good song!
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。すごく心地いい曲だね。Hontō da. Sugoku kokochi ii kyoku da ne.You're right. It's a very pleasant song.
- 結衣 Yuiだよね。誰が歌っているのかな。Da yo ne. Dare ga utatte iru no kana.Right? I wonder who is singing.
- 蓮 Ren後で調べてみるよ。Ato de shirabete miru yo.I'll look it up later.
