ただ声一つ – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: ロクデナシ

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant world of Japanese music with Rokudenashi's "ただ声一つ" (Tada Koe Hitotsu). This emotionally rich J-Pop track, with its expressive piano melodies and Ninzin's clear vocals, offers a perfect opportunity to explore conversational and emotional Japanese. Learning the lyrics will not only enhance your vocabulary but also provide insight into Japanese cultural expressions of resilience and vulnerability, making it a special song for language learners.

[English]

Gathering fragments of time that keeps flowing

Just passing by, I write in the margins of my notebook

"When will I find the answer?"

To that faint, small emotion

One love, see you again, see you again

Until the warmth blooms and lights up the night

One breath, live, live

So I won’t cry beside these gentle days, ah

...

So I won’t cry

...

Those tiny words stung a little

But there’s no end to it

Pretending to forget it all—I’m tired

Night, hold me tight

...

Even today, I laugh, I laugh

I laugh to hide the me that’s crying

It’s okay to leave unspoken what can’t be said

Would I feel lighter if I could think that way?

One love, see you again, see you again

Until the warmth blooms and lights up the night

One breath, live, live

So I won’t cry beside these gentle days

One love, see you again, see you again, ah

One love, see you again, see you again

So I can smile beside these gentle days, ah

Pouring out my feelings is easy

But living is just too hard

So many questions I can’t solve, ah

No need to neatly face forward

Just hold me tight, that’s all

One love, see you again, see you again

...

[Japanese]

続く 時間の欠片を集めている

ただ過ぎる ノートの余白に書く

「答えは いつ？」

ほんのり小さな感情へ

愛をひとつ またね またね

夜に咲く温度と灯るまで

呼吸 ひとつ 生きる 生きる

優しい日々の横で泣かぬように 嗚呼

泣かぬように

ちっちゃな言葉チクチクしたの

キリが無いけどさ

それを忘れたフリ 疲れたよ

夜よ抱きしめて

今日だって 笑う 笑う

泣いちゃう僕を隠すために笑う

言えないことは言えないで良い

って思えたら軽くなれるのかな

愛をひとつ またね またね

夜に咲く温度と灯るまで

呼吸ひとつ 生きる 生きる

優しい日々の横で泣かぬように

愛をひとつ またね またね 嗚呼

愛をひとつ またね またね

優しい日々の横で笑うように 嗚呼

吐き出す気持ちは簡単で

でも生きるの難易度高すぎて

どうにも解けない問いだらけ 嗚呼

さっぱりきっかり前向いて

なんてしなくて良いから抱きしめて

愛をひとつ またね またね

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
時間 /dʑikan/ A1	noun - time
欠片 /kakera/ B2	noun - fragment
集める /atsumeru/ B1	verb - to collect
続く /tsuzuku/ B1	verb - to continue
ノート /noːto/ A2	noun - notebook
余白 /yohaku/ B1	noun - margin
答え /kotae/ A2	noun - answer
感情 /kanjou/ B1	noun - emotion
愛 /ai/ A1	noun - love
夜 /yoru/ A1	noun - night
温度 /ondo/ B1	noun - temperature
灯る /tomoru/ B2	verb - to light up / to glow
呼吸 /kokyuu/ A2	noun - breath
生きる /ikiru/ A2	verb - to live
優しい /yasashii/ A2	adjective - kind / gentle
日々 /hibi/ A1	noun - days
泣く /naku/ A1	verb - to cry
笑う /warau/ A1	verb - to laugh

Key Grammar Structures

• 続く 時間の欠片を集めている

  ➔ Continuous form (te-iru)

  ➔ This sentence uses the continuous form "te-iru" to indicate an ongoing action: "collecting fragments of time."

• ほんのり小さな感情へ

  ➔ Adverb (honno-ri) + particle へ (e)

  ➔ Uses the adverb "honno-ri" (slightly/faintly) modifying "small emotions" and the particle "へ" (to/towards) which indicates direction/goal.

• 夜に咲く温度と灯るまで

  ➔ Verb + まで (made) - "until..."

  ➔ The construction "...made" is used to indicate "until" something happens. "...until the temperature blooms at night and lights up."

• 呼吸 ひとつ 生きる 生きる

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis + Verb

  ➔ Repeating "ikiru" (to live) emphasizes the act of living. Similar to saying "breathing once, living, living".

• 優しい日々の横で泣かぬように 嗚呼

  ➔ Verb-dictionary form + よう(に) - "so that...", Negative form of verb + よう(に) - "so that... not..."

  ➔ Using the negative form of the verb "nakanu" (to cry) + よう(に) is used to express "so that (one) doesn't cry" alongside the gentle days.

• ちっちゃな言葉チクチクしたの

  ➔ Adjective + past tense

  ➔ The adjective "chitcha na" (tiny) modifies "kotoba" (words), followed by "chikuchiku shita no", using the past tense of the verb "suru" (to do) to convey a feeling of something that "pricked" or "stung", creating a sense of discomfort.

• 言えないことは言えないで良い

  ➔ Potential form + negative form + good

  ➔ The sentence uses the potential form of the verb, the negative form and good "it's okay not to say things you can't say."

• って思えたら軽くなれるのかな

  ➔ Quotative particle + verb + Conditional form of verb + question particle

  ➔ Uses the quotative particle "tte", followed by the conditional "tara", to express a hypothetical situation (if I could think that), and ends with a question particle (wondering). "I wonder if I can feel lighter if I can think like that?"