ときめき – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Vaundy

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese with Vaundy's 'Tokimeki' is a great way to connect with the language through a fun and energetic song. The lyrics are filled with expressive and emotional words like 'tokimeki' (excitement) and 'mahou' (magic), offering a glimpse into how Japanese expresses feelings. The song's upbeat and rhythmic nature makes it easy to sing along to, which can help with pronunciation and memorization. 'Tokimeki' is special because it turns a simple feeling into a grand, magical concept, making the learning process both enjoyable and emotionally resonant.

[English]

What I see clearly is

A magic shining with heartbeat

What comes to mind is someone's

Sound of tears falling

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

That's a light and playful magic

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

A beautiful cry that never stops

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

It's okay to cry and laugh

The unseen future isn’t so bad (not at all)

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

No time to yawn and bore

Come on, come on, tell me more

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

...

...

What I hear clearly is

A magic sung by heartbeat

What comes to mind is someone's

Intro of a humming tune

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

That’s a vivid magic

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

What I hear is

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

It’s okay to cry and laugh

The unseen future isn’t so bad (not at all)

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

(Na-na-na) No time to yawn and bore

Come on, come on, tell me more

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

Unending sadness is just points

Drawing lines that seem to go on

Because of those trembling lines

They start moving (they do)

Tu-tu-tu, yeah-yeah, tu-tu-tu, yeah-yeah

It’s all because of heartbeat magic

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

It’s okay to cry and laugh

The unseen future isn’t so bad (not at all)

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

No time to yawn and bore

Come on, come on, tell me more

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

...

[Japanese]

目に映るのは 確かな

Tokimekiで光る魔法

思い当たるのは 誰かの

涙が落ちる音

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

それは 軽やかな魔法

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

美しいほど 止まらぬ cry

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

涙流して笑えばいいさ

見えぬ未来も 悪くはないぜ（ないぜ）

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

あくびしてる暇なんかないぜ

ほら ほらもっと聞かして

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

聞こえてるのは 確かな

Tokimekiで歌う魔法

思い当たるのは 誰かの

鼻歌のIntro

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

それは、鮮やかな魔法

Uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah-yeah

聞こえてるのは

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

涙流して笑えばいいさ

見えぬ未来も 悪くはないぜ（ないぜ）

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

(Na-na-na) あくびしてる暇なんかないぜ

ほら ほらもっと聞かして

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

途切れない 悲しみは点で

線を描いてるようだ

震え出す その線のせいで

動き出してしまうの（しまうの）

Tu-tu-tu, yeah-yeah, tu-tu-tu, yeah-yeah

止まれないのはTokimekiのせい

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

涙流して笑えばいいさ

見えぬ未来も 悪くはないぜ（ないぜ）

Da-da-da-da-da, just dancing tonight (na-na-na)

あくびしてる暇なんかないぜ

ほら ほらもっと聞かして

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
目 /me/ A1	noun - eye
涙 /namida/ A2	noun - tear
未来 /mirai/ B1	noun - future
魔法 /mahou/ B1	noun - magic
光る /hikaru/ B2	verb - to shine
止まる /tomaru/ B2	verb - to stop
悲しみ /kanashimi/ B2	noun - sadness
動く /ugoku/ B2	verb - to move
鮮やか /azayaka/ C1	adjective - vivid
軽やか /karoyaka/ C1	adjective - light, nimble
聞こえる /kikoeru/ B2	verb - to be heard
音 /oto/ A2	noun - sound
点 /ten/ B1	noun - point
線 /sen/ B1	noun - line
あくび /akubi/ A2	noun - yawn
踊る /odoru/ B1	verb - to dance

Key Grammar Structures

• のは

  ➔ Nominalizer + 'は' to emphasize or specify a reason or subject

  ➔ Used to specify or emphasize the subject or reason, as in 'それは 軽やかな魔法' ('That is a light magic').

• ~ながら

  ➔ Indicates simultaneously doing two actions, similar to 'while' in English

  ➔ Conveys that two actions happen concurrently, such as '涙流して笑えばいいさ' ('It's okay to cry and laugh at the same time').

• ている

  ➔ Progressive or continuous tense marker indicating ongoing action

  ➔ Indicates ongoing or habitual actions, e.g., '見えぬ未来も' ('The unseen future'), implying something is ongoing or uncertain.

• 〜のせい

  ➔ Expresses causation or responsibility, similar to 'because of' or 'due to'

  ➔ Indicates that something is caused by or due to a specific factor, as in '止まれないのはTokimekiのせい' ('Cannot stop because of Tokimeki').

• てみる

  ➔ Attemptive form meaning 'try to' or 'give it a try'

  ➔ Indicates an attempt to do something, e.g., 'ほら ほらもっと聞かして' ('Come on, try to tell me more!').

• 〜ことができる

  ➔ Expresses ability or possibility, 'can do' or 'be able to'

  ➔ Indicates that someone is able to do something, as in '見えぬ未来も 悪くはないぜ' (even the unseen future is not bad, implying potential).