ボーカル（ボーカル、boーkaru）
- vocal

The Japanese word ボーカル (bōkaru) is a loanword from English, meaning "vocal" or "vocals." It refers to the part of a song that is sung, the singing itself, or the person who sings. It's often used in the context of music, particularly in bands and other musical groups. It can denote the voice, the act of singing, or the singer. ⚫︎ It usually means the lead singer or one of the singers in a group.

⚫︎ あのバンドのボーカルはとても声がいい。 Translation: The vocals of that band have a very good voice. ⚫︎ 彼女はボーカルとしてデビューした。 Translation: She debuted as a vocalist. ⚫︎ 新しい曲のボーカルレコーディングを行った。 Translation: We did the vocal recording for the new song.

This word is commonly used in casual and formal conversations about music. You can use it when talking about: ⚫︎ The singer in a band. ⚫︎ The vocal part of a song. ⚫︎ The act of singing. It's important to note the context; ボーカル is usually understood in a musical context.

⚫︎ ボーカル is written in katakana, as it is a loanword. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the way this word is written in Japanese. ⚫︎ It is always written as ボーカル.

⚫︎ 歌 (うた) - song (can also refer to vocals) ⚫︎ 歌手 (かしゅ) - singer ⚫︎ シンガー - singer (another loanword, used interchangeably with ボーカル) ⚫︎ ボーカル, ボーカルパート (vocal part)

There aren't direct antonyms for ボーカル, as it is a specific term relating to the singing aspect of music. However, one could consider the instrumental parts of music as the opposite.

この曲のボーカルは少し高すぎる。 ・Translation: The vocals in this song are a little too high. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the quality or range of the vocals in a song.

彼はボーカルを目指して音楽学校に通っている。 ・Translation: He is attending music school to become a vocalist. ・Explanation: This sentence explains the person's goal to become a vocalist.

The word ボーカル is derived directly from the English word "vocal."