唄 or 歌 ?
In an exam I wrote 唄 but my teacher corrected it to 歌. Both are pronounced うた, so I don't know when to use which. Are there any differences in meaning? Which one is more common?

ありがとうございます！　^^

Question

唄 or 歌 ?
In an exam I wrote 唄 but my teacher corrected it to 歌. Both are pronounced うた, so I don't know when to use which. Are there any differences in meaning? Which one is more common?

ありがとうございます！　^^

Answer

In modern Japanese, 歌 is used to refer to almost any type of song (from pop songs to lullabies), whereas 唄 is used primarily for traditional Japanese songs (e.g., played on the shamisen (a Japanese three-stringed instrument)).

If you called, say, a Lady Gaga song a 唄, you Japanese teacher likely corrected it to 歌.

I hope this answers your question! :)

Answer

In Chinese 唄 means Chant and this is for song 歌.
歌 is mostly used.