交響曲
kōkyōkyoku[ko̞ːkʲo̞ːkʲo̞kɯ̟]
The Japanese word for symphony is 交響曲, pronounced kōkyōkyoku.
交響曲 is used to refer to a piece of orchestral music, specifically a symphony.
Meaning: piece of orchestral music (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 交 (interchange/mix), 響 (echo/sound) and 曲 (song/piece).
How do you pronounce it?
kōkyōkyoku
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word for 'orchestra' is 管弦楽団 (kangen gakudan), which literally translates to 'pipe and string music group'.
- While 交響曲 refers to the musical form, Japanese people often use the loanword シンフォニー (shinfonī) when discussing the emotional or conceptual 'symphony' of life or nature.
- When referring to the 'Symphonic' style of a piece, Japanese often uses the term シンフォニック (shinfonikku) rather than the native 交響 (kōkyō).
Examples in context
- 私は Beethoven の交響曲第九番が大好きです。I love Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
- モーツァルトの交響曲Mozart's Symphony
- 野田順子の交響曲Symphony by Junko Noda
- 武満徹の交響曲Symphony by Toru Takemitsu
- この交響曲は本当に素晴らしいです。Kono koukyoukyoku wa hontou ni subarashii desu.This symphony is truly wonderful.
- ベートーヴェンの交響曲を聴きました。Beetooven no koukyoukyoku o kikimashita.I listened to Beethoven's symphony.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about a concert program.
- 結衣 Yui今日の演奏会は何を聴きますか？Kyō no ensōkai wa nani o kikimasu ka?What will we listen to at today's concert?
- 健太 Kenta有名な交響曲を聴く予定です。Yūmei na kōkyōkyoku o kiku yotei desu.We are planning to hear a famous symphony.
- 結衣 Yuiそれは楽しみですね。Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne.I'm looking forward to that.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんもきっと気に入ると思います。Yui-san mo kitto kiniiru to omoimasu.I think you will like it too, Yui.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “symphony” translations and entries 交響曲, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
