3.1 Arts Vocabulary

The arts

芸術 / アート (geijutsu / āto) = art, 絵 (e) = picture/painting, 音楽 (ongaku) = music, 踊り (odori) = dance, 映画 (eiga) = film, 書道 (shodō) = calligraphy.

Describing beauty

美しい (utsukushii) = beautiful, きれい (kirei) = pretty, 色 (iro) = color, 赤 (aka) = red, 青 (ao) = blue.

Cultural note

Traditional Japanese arts include 書道 (shodō) calligraphy, 生け花 (ikebana) flower arranging, and 浮世絵 (ukiyo-e) woodblock prints — Hokusai's 'Great Wave' is world-famous.

Key terms

芸術 / 絵

geijutsu / e — art / picture·painting

音楽 / 踊り

ongaku / odori — music / dance

映画 / 書道

eiga / shodō — film / calligraphy

美しい / きれい

utsukushii / kirei — beautiful / pretty

生け花 / 浮世絵

ikebana / ukiyo-e — flower arranging / woodblock prints

Try an AP-style question

"しょどう (書道)" is…

1. tea ceremony
2. flower arranging
3. calligraphy
4. origami