VocabularyJLPT N5 · core

音

おと

hepburn oto

sound, noise

Part of speech · noun

Pattern visualization

音sound

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Examples

外で大きな音がしました。
A loud sound came from outside.
ピアノの音が好きです。
I like the sound of the piano.

Collocations

音 (oto, sound)音がする (oto ga suru, a sound happens)声 (koe, voice)騒音 (souon, noise)音楽 (ongaku, music)

Mnemonic

Oto (音) is "sound." The default verb phrase is oto ga suru ("a sound happens"). Key contrast with koe (声 = voice of people / animals): oto covers inanimate, instrument, natural sounds; koe covers vocalization. "Piano no oto" yes; "hito no koe" yes — mixing them is awkward. Metaphor: oto o ageru (to cry out / give up, idiom). Kanji 音 historically derives from 言 (speech). It is the root of the rich Japanese onomatopoeia field — zaazaa (rain), gatagata (rattling) — the first layer of sound vocab.

Quick check

Core difference between oto and koe?