How to say "Sing" in Japanese

When translating "sing" into Japanese, you must choose carefully between うたう and 謳う. In Japanese, うたう (うたう (utau)) is typically associated with "to sing" (Syllabus Level: N5) and represents Used for singing a song, or for birds singing.. On the other hand, 謳う (うたう (utau)) maps to "to sing praises of; to laud; to extol; to advocate; to proclaim" (Syllabus Level: N2) and represents Often used metaphorically to express strong advocacy or praise for something, rather than literally "singing" a song.. A literal translation of "sing" can often sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers if mixed up!