Watch & Listen
Study Tips
- Focus on Repetition: Words like 光, 夢, and 胸 appear frequently.
- Pair with Lyrics: Use the example lines to see how words function in context.
- Listen for Key Phrases: Notice how grammar like 〜てくる or 〜ならば is pronounced in the song.
- Flashcards: Prioritize verbs (刺す, 消える) and emotional nouns (悲しみ, 笑顔).
Check out lyrics
Here’s a Japanese-English bilingual excerpt of Kenshi Yonezu’s Lemon (note: lyrics are copyrighted, so this is a partial translation for educational purposes; full lyrics can be found on official platforms):
| Japanese Lyrics | English Translation |
|---|
| [Verse 1] |
| 夢ならばどれほどよかったでしょう | If only this were just a dream, how much better it would be. |
| 未だにあなたのことを夢にみる | Even now, I see you in my dreams. |
| 忘れた物を取りに帰るように | Like returning to retrieve something forgotten, |
| 古びた思い出の埃を払う | I brush the dust off old memories. |
| [Verse 2] |
| 戻らない幸せがあることを | That some happiness can never return, |
| 最後にあなたが教えてくれた | You were the one who taught me that in the end. |
| 言えずに隠してた昏い過去も | Even the dark past I kept hidden and couldn't speak of, |
| あなたがいなきゃ永遠に昏いまま | Without you, would remain dark forever. |
| [Pre-Chorus] |
| きっともうこれ以上 傷つくことなど | Surely, I know that there’s no more pain beyond this. |
| ありはしないとわかっている | I understand that now. |
| [Chorus] |
| あの日の悲しみさえ あの日の苦しみさえ | Even the sadness of that day, even the pain of that day, |
| そのすべてを愛してた あなたとともに | I loved them all, along with you. |
| 胸に残り離れない 苦いレモンの匂い | The bitter scent of lemon lingers in my heart. |
| 雨が降り止むまでは帰れない | Until the rain stops falling, I cannot go home. |
| 今でもあなたはわたしの光 | Even now, you are my light. |
| [Verse 3] |
| 暗闇であなたの背をなぞった | In the darkness, I traced your back. |
| その輪郭を鮮明に覚えている | I remember its outline so vividly. |
| 受け止めきれないものと出会うたび | Every time I encounter something I cannot bear, |
| 溢れてやまないのは涙だけ | The only thing that overflows is my tears. |
| [Pre-Chorus] |
| 何をしていたの 何を見ていたの | What were you doing? What were you looking at? |
| わたしの知らない横顔で | With a face I did not know. |
| [Chorus] |
| どこかであなたが今 わたしと同じ様な | If somewhere out there, you are now, just like me, |
| 涙にくれ 淋しさの中にいるなら | Lost in tears, drowning in loneliness, |
| わたしのことなどどうか 忘れてください | Please, just forget about me. |
| そんなことを心から願うほどに | I wish for that with all my heart. |
| 今でもあなたはわたしの光 | Even now, you are my light. |
| [Bridge] |
| 自分が思うより | More than I ever thought, |
| 恋をしていたあなたに | I was in love with you. |
| あれから思うように | Since then, it feels like |
| 息ができない | I cannot breathe properly. |
| あんなに側にいたのに | Even though we were so close, |
| まるで嘘みたい | It all feels like a lie. |
| とても忘れられない | I simply cannot forget. |
| それだけが確か | That is the only thing I am sure of. |
| [Chorus] |
| あの日の悲しみさえ あの日の苦しみさえ | Even the sadness of that day, even the pain of that day, |
| そのすべてを愛してた あなたとともに | I loved them all, along with you. |
| 胸に残り離れない 苦いレモンの匂い | The bitter scent of lemon lingers in my heart. |
| 雨が降り止むまでは帰れない | Until the rain stops falling, I cannot go home. |
| 切り分けた果実の片方の様に | Like one half of a split fruit, |
| 今でもあなたはわたしの光 | Even now, you are my light. |
Learn Vocab
Here’s a comprehensive vocabulary list to understand Kenshi Yonezu’s Lemon, categorized by key themes and frequency in the song. I’ve included kanji, kana, romaji, English meanings, and example lines for context:
Core Vocabulary List
| # | Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|
| 1 | 夢 | yume | dream | 毎晩、不思議な夢を見る。 (I have strange dreams every night.) |
| 2 | あなた | anata | you | あなたのことが好きです。 (I like you.) |
| 3 | 忘れる | wasureru | to forget | 宿題をするのを忘れた。 (I forgot to do my homework.) |
| 4 | 幸せ | shiawase | happiness | 幸せな気持ちになった。 (I felt happy.) |
| 5 | 昏い | kurai | dark, gloomy | 部屋の中が昏い。 (The room is dark.) |
| 6 | 過去 | kako | past | 過去のことは忘れよう。 (Let's forget about the past.) |
| 7 | 傷つく | kizutsuku | to be hurt | 彼の言葉で傷ついた。 (I was hurt by his words.) |
| 8 | 悲しみ | kanashimi | sadness | 悲しみを乗り越える。 (To overcome sadness.) |
| 9 | 苦しみ | kurushimi | pain, suffering | 彼の苦しみがわかる。 (I understand his suffering.) |
| 10 | 胸 | mune | chest, heart | 胸がドキドキする。 (My heart is pounding.) |
| 11 | 匂い | nioi | smell, scent | 花の匂いがする。 (I smell flowers.) |
| 12 | 雨 | ame | rain | 雨が降っている。 (It is raining.) |
| 13 | 光 | hikari | light | 太陽の光がまぶしい。 (The sunlight is bright.) |
| 14 | 暗闇 | kurayami | darkness | 暗闇が怖い。 (I am afraid of the dark.) |
| 15 | 涙 | namida | tears | 涙が止まらない。 (I can't stop my tears.) |
| 16 | 恋 | koi | love (romantic) | 初めての恋をした。 (I fell in love for the first time.) |
| 17 | 息 | iki | breath | 息を深く吸ってください。 (Take a deep breath.) |
| 18 | 側 | soba | side, near | いつも側にいるよ。 (I'll always be by your side.) |
| 19 | 嘘 | uso | lie | それは嘘じゃない？ (Isn't that a lie?) |
| 20 | 忘れられない | wasurerarenai | cannot forget | 彼の言葉が忘れられない。 (I can't forget his words.) |
| 21 | もし | moshi | if | もし雨が降ったら、家にいる。 (If it rains, I'll stay home.) |
| 22 | まだ | mada | still, yet | 仕事はまだ終わっていない。 (The work is not finished yet.) |
| 23 | 今 | ima | now | 今何時ですか？ (What time is it now?) |
| 24 | 帰る | kaeru | to return home | 学校から帰る。 (I return home from school.) |
| 25 | もの | mono | thing | これは大切なものです。 (This is an important thing.) |
| 26 | 教える | oshieru | to teach | 先生が日本語を教える。 (The teacher teaches Japanese.) |
| 27 | 隠す | kakusu | to hide | 彼は秘密を隠した。 (He hid a secret.) |
| 28 | もっと | motto | more | もっと食べたい。 (I want to eat more.) |
| 29 | 以上 | ijou | more than | 10歳以上の人は入れます。 (People over 10 years old can enter.) |
| 30 | 分かる | wakaru | to understand | 日本語が少し分かる。 (I understand a little Japanese.) |
| 31 | 離れる | hanareru | to separate, to leave | 家族と離れた。 (I was separated from my family.) |
| 32 | そば | soba | near, beside | 彼のそばにいたい。 (I want to be near him.) |
| 33 | できる | dekiru | can do | 日本語を話すことができる。 (I can speak Japanese.) |
| 34 | 片方 | katahou | one side, one half | 片方の靴がない。 (One of my shoes is missing.) |
| 35 | 目 | me | eye | 彼の目は青い。 (His eyes are blue.) |
| 36 | 声 | koe | voice | 彼女の声が好きです。 (I like her voice.) |
| 37 | 夜 | yoru | night | 夜に映画を見る。 (I watch movies at night.) |
| 38 | まるで | marude | just like, as if | まるで夢のようだ。 (It's just like a dream.) |
| 39 | そんな | sonna | such, like that | そんなこと信じられない。 (I can't believe such a thing.) |
| 40 | こと | koto | thing (abstract) | それは大事なことです。 (That is an important thing.) |
| 41 | ただ | tada | just, only | ただの友達です。 (We are just friends.) |
Thematic Vocabulary Groups
- Emotions:
- 悲しみ (kanashimi - sadness), 苦しみ (kurushimi - pain), 幸せ (shiawase - happiness)
- Time:
- 過去 (kako - past), 今でも (ima demo - even now), 永遠 (eien - eternity)
- Metaphors:
- 光 (hikari - light), 暗い (kurai - dark), 胸を刺す (mune o sasu - "stabbing the heart")
Flashcards
Learn Grammar
Grammar Notes
- Conditional Form (ならば):
- Formal way to say "if." Often shortened to なら (e.g., 夢なら).
- 〜てくる (te kuru):
- Indicates an action that continues or affects the present ("stabbing keeps happening").
- Possessive の:
- わたしの光 = "my light." の connects nouns (like "of" in English).
- Casual Contractions (〜てる):
- 思ってる = 思っている ("I am thinking"). Common in spoken Japanese.
Break down lyrics
| Japanese Line | English Translation | Vocab/Grammar Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 夢ならばどれほどよかったでしょう yume naraba dore hodo yokatta deshou | "If only it were a dream, how wonderful it would have been" | Vocab: 夢 (ゆめ - dream). Grammar: ならば (conditional "if"), どれほど (how much), でしょう (speculation). |
| 未だにあなたのことを夢にみる imadani anata no koto o yume ni miru | "Even now, I dream of you" | Vocab: 未だに (いまだに - still). Grammar: を marks object (あなたのこと). |
| 忘れた物を取りに帰るように wasureta mono o tori ni kaeru you ni | "Like returning to retrieve something forgotten" | Vocab: 忘れた (わすれた - forgot). Grammar: ように (like/as if). |
| 古びた思い出の埃を払う furubita omoide no hokori o harau) | "I brush off the dust of old memories" | Vocab: 古びた (ふるびた - aged), 埃 (ほこり - dust). Grammar: を for direct object. |
| 戻らない幸せがあることを modoranai shiawase ga aru koto o | "That there is happiness that won’t return" | Vocab: 戻らない (もどらない - won’t return). Grammar: がある (there is). |
| 最後にあなたが教えてくれた saigo ni anata ga oshiete kureta | "You taught me that in the end" | Grammar: てくれた (someone did something for the speaker). |
| 言えずに隠してた昏い過去も iezuni kakushiteta kurai kako mo | "The dark past I couldn’t speak of and hid" | Vocab: 昏い (くらい - dark). Grammar: ずに (without doing). |
| あなたがいなきゃ永遠に昏いまま anata ga inakya eien ni kurai mama | "Would’ve stayed dark forever without you" | Vocab: いなきゃ (colloquial for いなければ). Grammar: まま (as it is). |
| きっともうこれ以上傷つくことなど… | "I know there’s nothing more painful than this" | Vocab: 傷つく (きずつく - to hurt). Grammar: とわかっている (know that...). |
| あの日の悲しみさえ あの日の苦しみさえ | "Even the sadness of that day, even the pain of that day" | Grammar: さえ (even). Cultural Note: Repetition emphasizes lingering emotions. |
| 胸に残り離れない苦いレモンの匂い | "A bitter lemon scent that clings to my heart" | Vocab: レモン (lemon). Metaphor: Bitterness + fleeting sweetness of memories. |
| 雨が降り止むまでは帰れない | "I can’t return until the rain stops" | Grammar: まで (until). Cultural Note: Rain symbolizes unresolved grief. |
| 暗闇であなたの背をなぞった | "In the dark, I traced your silhouette" | Vocab: 暗闇 (くらやみ - darkness). Grammar: で (location marker). |
| 溢れてやまないのは涙だけ | "Only tears overflow endlessly" | Grammar: 〜てやまない (doesn’t stop). Poetic: Tears as uncontainable emotion. |
| 自分が思うより恋をしていたあなたに | "To you, whom I loved more than I realized" | Grammar: より (than). Structure: Relative clause modifying あなた. |
| 切り分けた果実の片方の様に | "Like one half of a split fruit" | Vocab: 片方 (かたほう - one half). Metaphor: loss of a shared bond. |
| 今でもあなたはわたしの光 | "Even now, you are my light" | Vocab: 光 (ひかり - light). Cultural Note: Common metaphor for hope/guiding force. |
Reflect
Challenges
What lines still feel challenging? Please return to those in the learning loop!
Key Themes & Notes
Metaphors: Light (光), darkness (暗い), and dreams (夢) symbolize loss, memory, and lingering hope.
Grammar: Phrases like ～ならば (if) and ～まま (as it is) reflect regret and unchanging emotional states.
Cultural Context: The song, written for the drama Unnatural, ties to themes of grief and unresolved love.
For the full lyrics, check official sources like:
Kenshi Yonezu’s official website or YouTube channel.
Licensed music platforms (e.g., Apple Music, Spotify).