Japanese word

カラオケ

Pronunciation

Romajikaraoke

Meaning

  • nounkaraoke

Example

週末にカラオケへ行きます。shū matsu ni ka ra o ke e i ki ma su

I go to karaoke on the weekend.

Illustration for カラオケ (karaoke)

More examples

友達とカラオケで好きな歌を歌います。tomo dachi to ka ra o ke de su ki na uta o uta i ma su

I sing my favorite songs at karaoke with my friends.

Core concept

Describes a performance in which a person sings while recorded music provides the accompaniment instead of a live band.

Common phrases

  • カラオケに行くka ra o ke ni i ku

    go to karaoke

  • カラオケで歌うka ra o ke de uta u

    sing at karaoke

  • カラオケの曲ka ra o ke no kyoku

    a karaoke song

Definition in Japanese

録音された伴奏に合わせて、人が歌う娯楽やそのための音楽。roku on sa re ta ban sō ni a wa se te hito ga uta u go raku ya so no ta me no on gaku

Word origin

カラオケ (karaoke) is a Japanese coinage from 空 (kara, "empty") and オーケストラ (ōkesutora, "orchestra"), meaning an orchestra track without a singer.

Usage tips

  • English uses karaoke in everyday phrases such as do karaoke and sing karaoke, so it commonly names the activity rather than a particular song.

Word lists with this word