Japanese Song Structure Insights & Examples

On my mission to understand Japanese music more, I have had to dig through the Japanese side of the internet, which includes blogs and Youtube videos. As I’m searching, I will come across terms such as “B Melo” and “Sabi” along with letters like “AABAC”.

While some terms are more straightforward since they are borrowed English words, other words have me scratching my head, so I decided to dig more into it for my sake and yours.

If you’re looking for other articles related to Japanese music, check out my J-Music Resources Page. And if you’d like to learn to create Japanese inspired music, check out my course, The Complete Music Theory Course!

Now let’s dig into Song Structure = Kyoku no Kouzou (きょくのこうぞう / 曲の構造)

Dividing A Song Into parts

Before diving right in, a good place to start is dividing up a song. In the majority of music, you can divide a song into 3 parts. Each part usually ends when the chorus ends. In Japanese, they will use the word “Ban” (番) to refer to each section. In a very basic song, it would look like this:

1番: Intro – First Verse – First Chorus
2番: Second Verse – Second Chorus
3番: Bridge – Final Chorus – Outro

If there are other sections, the numbers will continue, ie 4番, 5番, etc. I will go into this a bit more in the Verse section below.

Song Structure Terminiology

Intro = Intoro (イントロ / 序奏)

This word is pretty self explanatory. The beginning of the song is the intro. The song may start with an instrumental with some catchy riffs, or it may have a few words before going into an interlude, ollowed by the verse/melo.

Chorus Intro = Atama Sabi (あたま さび / 頭サビ)

Atama means “Head” in Japanese, so the “Atama Sabi” means a Chorus or Hook that starts off the song. Thus, if the song starts with the chorus, you can refer to that section using this word. It would be assumed that section will come up again later in the song.

Verse = X Melo/Mero (Aメロ/Bメロ/Cメロ)

You’ll notice in western music, verses usually match each other. If there was a section that was different, it is usually the bridge. But in Japanese music, there may be many sections that work as verses, but have slightly different sounds or progressions. Instead of calling them a verse, you’ll see the term “メロ” being used. It is written as “Mero”, but in Japanese, L and R are very similar, thus it can be better read as “Melo” as it is taken from the word “Melody”.

Thus, if the melody changes between verses, and the section is not a Chorus/Sabi, then this term is used. In the first section (1番) of the song, you’ll usually see Aメロ and Bメロ back to back. In Western music, this would be referred to as the Verse and the Pre-Chorus. If in the second section (2番) of the song, a new melody is introduced, that part of the song would be referred to as Cメロ. A great example would be Cry Baby by Official HIGE Dandism. And finally, during the third section (3番), the bridge would work as another verse and introduce a new melody. It would be referred to as the Dメロ, or Cメロ if that wasn’t used earlier.

Pre-Chorus = Puresabi (プレサビ)
AKA B Melo (Bメロ)

In Japanese, the chorus is better known as “Sabi”. “Pure” is just how they pronounce “Pre” thus “Pre-Chorus”. While the Pre-Chorus and B Melo can sometimes be used interchangeably, I would say a B Melo is about equal in length as the A Melo (usually 16 measures), whereas a Pre-chorus is shorter (4-8 measures) A Pre-chorus also tends to build up and crescendo into the chorus.

Chorus = Sabi (サビ)
OR Koorasu (コーラス)

If you dare to dig on the Japanese side of the internet, you’ll see Sabi used to refer to the chorus. Google will translate it to “Rust” since the word is written using katakana which is used for borrowed/foreign words, but that didn’t make sense to me. It took quite a search to find any real explanations, but I finally found a logical answer for where the word came from and the meaning on no-sword.jp‘s website.

They write “Back when AABA was still the most common popular music form, the B part would often be in the subdominant. Ernest would therefore write “SAB /” (for “subdominant”) on the B section in sheet music, to give the players a broad heads-up. Japanese musicians thought the slash was a capital I, and read it as sabi . A word is born.”

In today’s world where Japan has very complex song structures as you’ll see below, the Sabi is used to represent the most repetitive or memorable part of the song, which is usually the chorus or refrain, but it could also be a repetitive verse or post-chorus. I would say, it’s best to think of it as the “hook” of the song, the part that get’s stuck in your head the most.

Refrain = Rifurein (リフレーン)
OR Kurikaeshi (くり‐かえし / 繰り返し)

So what’s the difference between a Chorus and a Refrain? While the words are generally used interchangeably, a Refrain refers to a part of the song that is repeated, kinda like songs in a hymnal. You’ll notice in Japanese songs, not all choruses repeat. Words may change, or they may be played a bit differently. If it is a perfect match, consider it a Refrain.

Post-Chorus = Posuto Sabi (ポスト サビ)

A Post-Chorus feels like part of the chorus, but it has a cool down feeling, and may not always be present after each chorus. If it was an instrumental, it would be more of an interlude, so you can consider this as an optional extension of the chorus, but it doesn’t have the same killing part or hook as the main chorus.

Interlude = Kansou (かんそう / 間奏)

You can consider an interlude as a small instrumental section between parts. It is not as long or noticeable is an instrumental bridge. It is most commonly found after the 1st chorus/sabi and before the 2nd verse. I find that in most cases, the interlude would have bits and pieces that were in the introduction (if there was one). As you’ll see below in the Effective Line/Stereopony example, although there is a huge instrumental section, I could divided it into an instrumental and an interlude, because the introduction of the song is brought back after the solo.

Instrumental = Insuturumentaru (インストゥルメンタル)

An instrumental is a part that contains no voices, but is longer than an interlude. This usually happens between the 2nd and 3rd chorus. If this is taking place as the bridge, then the word “インストゥルメンタル間奏” could be used instead. All solos would be considered part of the instrumental, but not all instrumentals have a solo.

Bridge = Oosabi (大サビ) OR Burijji (ブリッジ)

The bridge may be referred to as the borrowed word, or oosabi, which just means big chorus. As we mentioned earlier, Sabi could mean chorus, but it also just refers to any catchy section or part that stands out. Thus, the bridge or oosabi is a part that stands out more than usual. It usually creates a lot of tension that builds up to the final chorus. They may also use C or D Melo to refer to this section.

Last Chorus = Rasuto Sabi (ラストサビ)

Self explanatory. The Rasuto Sabi is which ever chorus comes last in the song. This could be a repeat of early choruses, or it may differ a bit with different lyrics, instrumentation, and energy.

Outro = Autoro (アウトロ)

Just like the intro, this is pretty self explanatory. Some songs may end strong on the chorus, but in most cases, an instrumental similar to the intro is played, but the very end let’s you know the song is finished.

Other Terms

Solo = Soro Paato (ソロパート)

Essentially translated into “Solo Part”. Usually the solo takes part during the instrumental bridge, and majority of the time, it will feature Electric guitar. However, any instrument can have a solo, such as saxophone, piano, or drums. As long as the instrument has a moment to stand out and shine, this is considered a solo.

Phrase = Fureezu (フレーズ / 楽句)

A phrase does not refer to a specific part of a song. Rather, it is used to refer to a section, any section, depending on the context. The intro could be a phrase, part of the chorus could be a phrase, the solo could be a phrase. If you aren’t sure what a part of the song is called, you can just the “phrase after the 1st verse”

Build Up = Ochisabi (おちサビ / 落ちサビ)

Ochisabi is essentially a build up. This can be a crescendo (raising of volume) with instruments, vocals, and especially drums. This usually leads into the last chorus (rasuto sabi). Sometimes this can take place of the D Melo if an Oosabi isn’t present. (A perfect example would be at 2:50 in this song).

Spoken Dialogue = Katari (かたり / 語り)

The word for this is literally just using the Japanese word for “to speak”. By adding ‘ri’ at the end, the word is translated to narrator.

Sample Song Structures

Once you start paying a bit more attention to song structures, even what sounded like a simple song may be more complex than you thought. Below are examples of some common structure patterns:

1. Intro → A Melo → Sabi → A Melo → Sabi → Outro
2. Intro → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → Outro
3. Intro → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → C Melo → Sabi → Outro
4. Intro → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → A Melo → B Melo → Interlude → C Melo → Sabi → outro
5. Intro → A Melo → B Melo → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → C Melo → Sabi → Outro
6. Sabi → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → A Melo → B Melo → Sabi → C Melo → Sabi → Outro

Below, I have picked some random songs from my saved songs longer or more unusual structures, just so you can get an idea of how songs flow and how parts will be named with context. I did my best based on research of the terms above, but don’t take my word for law. While some songs were quite easy to tell and I could make a great assumption, the artist may consider it something else. There’s no real way to look it up and know for sure unless they have official sheets out.

Effective Line – Stereopony

Intro (0:00) → Sabi (0:14) → Instrumental (0:26) → Interlude (0:40) → Sabi (0:51)

*The Interlude repeats the riff at the chorus, thus it would be considered separate from the instrumental break*

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Cry Baby – Official Hige Dandism

Intro (0:00) → A Melo (0:09) → B Melo (0:28) → Sabi (0:48) → C Melo (1:35) → Interlude (1:55) → Instrumental (2:04) → D Melo (2:24) → Last Sabi (2:50)

*While the beginning of C Melo is the same as A Melo, the second half is completely different, so it cannot be considered the same melody. I considered the part after C Melo as an Interlude since it is a short part used to transition to the Instrumental. They sound like two different musical ideas. The first chorus and last chorus are also quite different, with the last one ending the song with a bang.*

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Strato – Nico Touches The Wall

Intro (0:00) → A Melo (0:37) → B Melo (1:02)→ Interlude (1:27) → A Melo (1:39) → C Melo (2:04) → Sabi (2:30) → Instrumental (2:55)→ C Melo (2:19) → Sabi (3:45) → Outro (4:09)

*While B Melo and C Melo start the same, the endings are different. C Melo has a buildup (Ochisabi) for the last couple bars that lead into the following chorus, so I consider them different melodies*

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Fuyu no Hanashi – Centimillimental

Intro (0:00) → A Melo (0:13) → B Melo (0:34) → Sabi (0:49)→ Interlude (1:14) → A Melo (1:20) → B Melo (1:42) → Instrumental/Solo (1:56) → C Melo/Oosabi (2:10) → Sabi (2:39) → Outro (3:04)

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Shunkan Sentimental – Scandal

Intro (0:15) → A Melo (0:30) → Pre-Chorus (0:53) → Sabi (1:05) → Interlude (1:28) → B Melo (1:34) → Pre-Chorus (1:57) → Sabi (2:07)→ Instrumental (2:31) → C Melo/Oosabi (2:43) → Last Sabi (3:07) → Outro (3:43)

*In this song, I decided to use Pre-Chorus instead of a B Melo like the songs above, because the section only lasts 8 bars/10 seconds. You can also feel that it was placed there as a build-up to the chorus.*

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The Beginning – ONE OK ROCK

Chorus Intro (0:07) → Interlude (0:41) → A Melo (0:51) → Pre-Sabi (1:12) → Sabi (1:21) → Interlude (1:44) → B Melo (2:05) → Pre-Sabi (2:26) → Sabi (2:35)→ Post-Sabi (2:57) → Instrumental (3:19) → D Melo/Bridge (3:41) → Last Sabi (4:02) → Post Sabi/Outro (4:23)

*While the chord progressions for this song is simple, the structure is more complex than it initially sounds. A lot of the song is focused on the Sabi. The Pre-Sabi is only 8 bars and is clearly a build up to the Sabi. Then there is a section that is sometimes attached to the Sabi. Since the energy and hype of the chorus has yet to end, it would be considered a Post-Sabi, instead of another verse. I also chose to use D Melo instead of Oosabi because it does repeat elements of previous verses on a softer scale. I could also consider it a bridge since it is the path/connection between the end of the instrumental and the final chorus.*

Conclusion

I hope this article has introduced you to new Japanese terminology and given you some new inspiration for your own songs.

Not everything has to be the basic Intro→Verse→Chorus→Verse→Chorus→Bridge→Chorus structure that we have gotten used to. Create a second verse, add interludes, change up the order, and try something new!

Definitely look into more Japanese music. I’ve created a bunch of samplers playlists in different genres so you can discover new songs and artists without getting overwhelmed. And if you’d like to learn more about Japanese music, consider buying my Japanese Music Progressions eBook or my Japanese Music Theory Course!

And hey, if this article helped you and you’d like to support me, my blog, and mission, feel free to leave a tip on Ko-Fi.

Play on!