卡拉OK
kǎlā'ōukèi, kǎlā'ōukēi
In Chinese, karaoke is 卡拉OK (kǎlā'ōukèi, kǎlā'ōukēi).
The term refers to a form of entertainment. When you want to express the action of singing karaoke, you typically use the verb 唱 (chàng, to sing) with 卡拉OK to form 唱卡拉OK.
Meaning: a form of entertainment (noun)
Which one should you use?
卡拉OK is the noun for the activity, whereas K歌 is a common informal verb-object construction used to mean 'to do karaoke' or 'to sing karaoke'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 歌曲 means 'song'.
How do you pronounce it?
kǎlā'ōukèi, kǎlā'ōukēi
When do people say it?
When inviting someone to go karaoke, people often use the phrase 去唱歌, which means 'let's go sing'.
Did you know?
- The word 卡拉OK is a phonetic transcription of the Japanese word 'karaoke', which itself was created by combining the Japanese word for 'empty' and a shortened version of the English word 'orchestra'.
- In Chinese digital culture, the letter K has become a standalone verb. A person might say 去K to mean 'let's go to a karaoke club', treating a single English letter as a full Chinese action word.
- While 卡拉OK describes the activity, signs for venues in Chinese cities almost always say 'KTV'. This term specifically implies a business with private rooms rather than a public stage.
Examples in context
- 湯姆在唱卡拉OK時喜歡什麼類型的歌曲呢?What kind of songs does Tom sing at karaoke?This sentence uses 卡拉OK to ask about the type of 歌曲 Tom sings.Tatoeba #4962283 by umidake, translation #4959445 by handsomelyian
- 卡拉OK對減輕壓力有益。Karaoke is good for reducing stress.This sentence uses 卡拉OK to state its benefits for stress relief.Tatoeba #779079 by Martha, translation #63538 by CK
- 我不知道為什麼卡拉OK如此受歡迎。I wonder why karaoke is so popular.This sentence uses 卡拉OK to wonder about its popularity.Tatoeba #894332 by Martha, translation #38772 by CK
- 咱们去KTV唱歌吧！Let's go to KTV and sing karaoke!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to do on a Friday night.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen偉，今晚你有空嗎？Wěi, jīnwǎn nǐ yǒu kòng ma?Wei, are you free tonight?
- 伟 Wei我有空，有什麼計畫嗎？Wǒ yǒu kòng, yǒu shénme jìhuà ma?I am free, do you have any plans?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我們去唱卡拉OK好嗎？Wǒmen qù chàng kǎlāOK hǎo ma?Shall we go sing karaoke?
- 伟 Wei好啊，我也正想去呢。Hǎo a, wǒ yě zhèng xiǎng qù ne.Sure, I was just thinking of going too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “karaoke” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 卡拉OK, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
