曲をかける
kyoku o kakeru
To play a song in Japanese is to say 曲をかける (kyoku o kakeru).
The phrase 曲をかける is used specifically when you are starting music playback on a device, such as a radio, CD player, smartphone or a streaming service. If you wish to refer specifically to singing or vocal songs, you can use the word 歌.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'to hang or apply a song'. In this context, kakeru is used in the sense of setting a device or a process in motion.
Which one should you use?
Use 曲をかける when starting playback on a device. In contrast, if you are physically playing a musical instrument, you should use 曲を弾く.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of the phrase is 曲をかけた. To politely ask someone to play a song, you can use the te-form with kudasai to say 曲をかけてください.
How do you pronounce it?
kyoku o kakeru
Did you know?
- The verb kakeru used in 曲をかける is one of the most versatile words in Japanese, with dozens of meanings including 'to hang', 'to bet' and 'to call' someone on the phone.
- The word 曲 also means 'curve' or 'bend'. In a musical context, it refers to the 'bend' or flow of a melody.
- The verb kakeru in this phrase is the same word used when you 'hang' a picture on a wall or 'apply' glasses to your face. It implies setting a state or a mechanism into motion.
Examples in context
- 曲を再生してください、『夏の日』をお願いしますPlease play the song 'Summer Days.'
- ラジオで曲をかける。Rajio de kyoku o kakeru.Play a song on the radio.
