Curriculum

Traditional Japanese Songs

Learn Japanese with Japanese Children's Songs! In this 10-lesson series, you'll listen to famous Japanese children's songs and learn grammar and vocabulary through analyzing the lyrics. You'll also learn the fascinating stories behind the songs themselves!

Lesson	Title	Topic	Function	Conversation in target language	Cultural Insight	Vocabulary
#1	Furusato	Children's song	Learning the old-style Japanese lyrics	うさぎ追いし　かの山こぶな釣りし　かの川夢はいまも　めぐりて忘れがたき　ふるさといかにいます　父　母つつがなしや　友がき雨に風に　つけても思いいずる　ふるさとこころざしを　はたしていつの日にか　帰らん山はあおき　ふるさと水は清き　ふるさと	- released in 1914 as a song for elementary school students. - a nostalgic song for people who move far away from their hometown to work or study	釣るふるさとがたい忘れる夢川ふな山追ううさぎめぐる
#2	Edo no Komori Uta	Children's song	Learning Japanese traditional lullaby	ねんねん　ころりよおころりよぼうやは　良い子だねんねしなぼうやの　おもりはどこへ行ったあの山　越えて里へ行った里の　土産に何もろたでんでん太鼓に笙の笛	- originated in the Edo period;	ねんねぼうやおもり越える里土産でんでん太鼓笙の笛
#3	Fuji no Yama	Children's song	Learning a song about Mt. Fuji	あたまを雲の上に出し四方の山を見おろしてかみなりさまを下にきくふじは日本一の山青ぞら高くそびえたちからだに雪のきものきてかすみのすそをとおくひくふじは日本一の山	- the melody of this song playing from the traffic lights for pedestrians in the Shizuoka prefecture - some train stations located near Mt. Fuji that use this song as the melody for when the train departs.	あたま雲四方見おろすかみなり青空そびえたつかすみすそ
#4	Musunde Hiraite	Children's song	Learning a traditional song sung in nursery schools or in kindergarten	むすんで　ひらいててをうって　むすんでまたひらいててをうってそのてを　うえにむすんで　ひらいててをうって　むすんで	- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a famous eighteenth-century philosopher, composed the original melody of this song. - it is very popular as a song that kids sing with hand movements at nursery schools or in kindergarten.	むすぶひらくうつてまた
#5	Sakura Sakura	Children's song	Learning the most popular song about sakura.	さくら　さくら、やよいの空(そら)は　見（み）わたす限（かぎ）りかすみか雲（くも）か　匂（にお）いぞ出（い）ずるいざやいざや　見（み）にゆかん	- the Japanese used this song as a practice song for children learning to play the koto (a thirteen-stringed Japanese instrument) in the Edo Period. - Sakura symbolizes spring in Japan, and it is also called the national flower.	さくらやよい見渡すかすみ匂いいざ
#6	Koinobori	Children's song	Learning the song about koinobori, the carp streamers put out for decoration on the fifth day of May (Children's Day) every year.	屋根より高い　こいのぼり大きいまごいは　お父さん小さいひごいは　子供たちおもしろそうに　泳いでる	- Children's Day originally was a day where people celebrated the growth of their sons and prayed for their success in life - In the Edo Period, people decorated their yards with these koinobori, with the wish that their sons would advance in the world with the grace of a carp.	屋根真鯉泳ぐお父さん子供達
#7	Shabondama	Children's song	Learning a Japanese melancholic children song	シャボン玉とんだ屋根までとんだ屋根までとんでこわれて消えたシャボン玉消えた飛ばずに消えたうまれてすぐにこわれて消えた風　風　吹くなシャボン玉とばそ	- Ujou Noguchi (lyrics) and Shimpei Nakayama (melody) produced this song, and it was released in 1922. - it is said that the songwriter, Ujou Noguchi, was mourning the death of his daughter when he wrote this song	シャボン玉屋根壊れる消えるうまれる風
#8	Mushi no Koe	Children's song	Learning a Japanese song about insects and their beautiful sounds	あれ松虫が　鳴いているちんちろ　ちんちろ　ちんちろりんあれ鈴虫も　鳴き出したりんりんりんりん　りいんりん秋の夜長を　鳴き通すああおもしろい　虫のこえ	- This song was released in 1922 as a song for elementary school kids to learn. - It's said that Japanese people find the sound of insects comfortable and beautiful.	松虫鈴虫夜長こおろぎ鳴くくつわ虫秋鳴き出す鳴き通す
#9	Zui Zui Zukkorobashi	Children's song	Learning a famous song that children can sing while doing hand movements.	ずいずいずっころばしゴマみそずい。茶つぼに追われてトッピンシャン抜けたらドンドコショ俵のネズミが米食ってチュ。チュウチュウチュウ。おっとさんが呼んでもおっかさんが呼んでも行きっこなあーしーよ井戸のまわりでお茶わん欠いたのだあれ	- This song is related to the historical event of the Edo period - it is said that this song was a warning to kids to stay quiet in the house while the tea parade was passing through.	茶つぼ抜ける俵井戸お茶わん欠く
#10	Tōryanse	Children's song	Learning a song that children sing while playing a game	とおりゃんせとおりゃんせ　ここはどこの細道じゃ　天神様の細道じゃ　ちょっと通してくだしゃんせ　ご用のないものとおしゃせぬ　この子の七つのお祝いに　お札をおさめに参ります　行きはよいよい帰りはこわい　こわいながらも　とおりゃんせとおりゃんせ	- In the past, turning seven had a very important meaning in the past because many children didn't make it to that age a long time ago. - in many areas, people used to make a talisman right after they had a baby and then return it to a shrine when their child turned seven years old.	細道通すご用お札おさめる参る