Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 28th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’ll be singing in Japanese.

Don’t worry, not the whole song — or else this’d be a very very very long issue.

By the end of this issue, you’ll be able to sing the chorus of Gunjou by YOASOBI!

Pretty exciting right?

What is Gunjou about?

This song is about self-discovery, overcoming doubt, and embracing one's true self.

It follows the journey from feeling lost and hiding emotions to finding confidence through self-expression, symbolized by creating art.

The lyrics explore facing insecurities, the fear of being authentic, and the challenge of staying true to one's passions.

Ultimately, it delivers a message of personal growth, realizing one's uniqueness, and moving forward with newfound clarity and self-acceptance.

The Refrain + Chorus

[Refrain]
Ah, inadvertently hiding your real voice
Let it resonate, see
You can pretend not to look but
It’s definitely there

[Chorus]
Ah, letting my feelings take over as
With this color of my choice
On a morning draped with sleepiness
I approached a blue world
Stating clearly what I like
Scares me to death but
I fеlt that I had found my true self

Shirazu shirazu kakushiteta
Hontou no koe wo hibikasete yo, hora
Minai furi shiteitemo
Tashika ni soko ni aru

Ah, kanjita mama ni egaku
Jibun de eranda sono iro de
Nemui kuuki matou asa ni
Otozureta aoi sekai
Suki na mono wo suki da to yuu
Kowakute shikatanai kedo
Hontou no jibun
Deaeta ki ga shitan da

知らず知らず隠してた
本当の声を響かせてよほら
見ないフリしていても
確かにそこにある

嗚呼 感じたままに描く
自分で選んだその色で
眠い空気纏う朝に
訪れた青い世界
好きなものを好きだと言う
怖くて仕方ないけど
本当の自分
出会えた気がしたんだ

The Deep Dive

知らず知らず隠してた (Shirazu shirazu kakushiteta)

• 知らず知らず (shirazu shirazu): An expression meaning "without realizing it" or "unconsciously." It comes from the verb 知る (shiru) meaning "to know," with its negative form 知らない (shiranai) meaning "to not know."

• 隠してた (kakushiteta): A casual past form of 隠す (kakusu), meaning "to hide." The full form is 隠していた, but in casual speech, the い is often dropped.

Meaning: "Unconsciously, I was hiding (it)."

本当の声を響かせてよほら (Hontou no koe wo hibikasete yo, hora)

• 本当の声 (hontou no koe): "True voice." 本当 (hontou) means "truth" or "real," and 声 (koe) means "voice."

• を (wo): Direct object marker.

• 響かせて (hibikasete): Causative form of 響く (hibiku), meaning "to resonate" or "to echo." The causative form implies "let (something) resonate" or "make (something) resonate."

• よ (yo): A sentence-ending particle used to emphasize the speaker’s statement or request.

• ほら (hora): "Look" or "see," used to draw attention to something.

Meaning: "Let your true voice resonate, see?"

見ないフリしていても (Minai furi shiteitemo)

• 見ない (minai): Negative form of 見る (miru), meaning "to see," so "to not see."

• フリ (furi): "Pretense" or "acting as if." Used after a verb, it means pretending to do that verb.

• していても (shiteitemo): From する (suru), meaning "to do." している (shiteiru) is the present continuous form, and していても means "even if (you) are pretending."

Meaning: "Even if you pretend not to see."

確かにそこにある (Tashika ni soko ni aru)

• 確かに (tashika ni): "Surely" or "certainly."

• そこに (soko ni): "There" (indicating location).

• ある (aru): "Exists" or "is there" (used for inanimate things).

Meaning: "It’s definitely there."

嗚呼 感じたままに描く (Aa kanjita mama ni egaku)

• 嗚呼 (aa): An interjection expressing a sigh or emotion, like "Ah."

• 感じたままに (kanjita mama ni): "As you felt" or "just as you felt." 感じた (kanjita) is the past form of 感じる (kanjiru), meaning "to feel." まま (mama) means "the state of" or "as it is."

• 描く (egaku): "To draw" or "to depict."

Meaning: "Ah, I’ll draw just as I felt."

自分で選んだその色で (Jibun de eranda sono iro de)

• 自分で (jibun de): "By myself" or "on my own."

• 選んだ (eranda): Past form of 選ぶ (erabu), meaning "to choose."

• その色で (sono iro de): "With that color." 色 (iro) means "color," and で (de) indicates the means or method.

Meaning: "With the color I chose myself."

眠い空気纏う朝に (Nemui kuuki matou asa ni)

• 眠い (nemui): "Sleepy."

• 空気 (kuuki): "Air."

• 纏う (matou): "To wrap" or "to envelop."

• 朝に (asa ni): "In the morning."

Meaning: "In a sleepy, enveloping morning."

訪れた青い世界 (Otozureta aoi sekai)

• 訪れた (otozureta): Past form of 訪れる (otozureru), meaning "to visit" or "to arrive."

• 青い世界 (aoi sekai): "Blue world," where 青い (aoi) means "blue" and 世界 (sekai) means "world."

Meaning: "A blue world arrived."

好きなものを好きだと言う (Suki na mono wo suki da to iu)

• 好きなもの (suki na mono): "Things you like." 好き (suki) means "like," and もの (mono) means "things."

• を (wo): Direct object marker.

• 好きだと言う (suki da to iu): "To say (you) like (it)."

Meaning: "To say you like what you like."

怖くて仕方ないけど (Kowakute shikata nai kedo)

• 怖くて (kowakute): Te-form of 怖い (kowai), meaning "scary" or "frightening."

• 仕方ない (shikata nai): "Can’t be helped" or "there’s no choice."

• けど (kedo): "But."

Meaning: "Even though it’s terrifying."

本当の自分 (Hontou no jibun)

• 本当の (hontou no): "True" or "real."

• 自分 (jibun): "Self."

Meaning: "My true self."

出会えた気がしたんだ (Deaeta ki ga shitan da)

• 出会えた (deaeta): Past potential form of 出会う (deau), meaning "to meet." In this form, it means "was able to meet."

• 気がした (ki ga shita): "I had the feeling" or "I felt."

• んだ (nda): A contraction of のだ, which is used for explanation or emphasis.

Meaning: "I felt like I met (my true self)."

Overall Meaning:

The lyrics express the struggle of hiding one's true feelings and the eventual realization of one's authentic self. The protagonist acknowledges that even when they pretend not to see or feel, their true voice and self remain present. As they start expressing themselves through their chosen "colors" (a metaphor for self-expression), they confront their fears and insecurities. Despite the difficulty, they feel like they've finally met their real self.

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed this simple musical run-through :)

Have a great Sunday!