When learning Japanese, many students get confused by the English word “play.”
In English, one word covers many situations:

• play with friends
• play games
• play the piano
• play the drums

But in Japanese, the verb changes depending on what kind of “play” you mean.

The two main verbs learners first meet are:

• 遊ぶ（あそぶ）
• 弾く（ひく）

However, the story doesn’t end there — especially with musical instruments.

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遊ぶ（あそぶ）– “Play” = Have Fun / Spend Time

遊あそぶ is used for:

• Hanging out
• Playing with friends
• Playing games
• Enjoying free time

Examples

• 友ともだちと遊あそびます。
• I play / hang out with friends.
  
• 公園こうえんで遊あそんでいます。
• I’m playing at the park.
  
• 昨日きのうゲームで遊あそびました。
• I played games yesterday.

Key idea:
遊あそぶ = fun / leisure / social activity
This verb is not used for instruments.

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弾く（ひく）– “Play” = Play an Instrument (Main Verb)

When learners first learn “play an instrument,” they usually learn 弾ひく — and that’s actually a good starting point.

弾ひく is the MAIN verb for playing instruments, especially the most commonly learned ones.

Instruments that use 弾ひく

Generally, 弾ひく is used for instruments with:

• Strings
• Keys

Examples

• ピアノを弾ひきます。
• Play the piano
  
• ギターを弾ひきます。
• Play the guitar
  
• バイオリンを弾ひきます。
• Play the violin
  
• ベースを弾きます。
• Play the bass
  
• ハープを弾ひきます。
• Play the harp

You can think of 弾ひく as:
pluck / press / produce sound with strings or keys

That’s why it’s the most commonly taught verb for instruments.

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Side Note: Not All Instruments Use 弾ひく

Japanese focuses on the physical action, so the verb can change depending on how the sound is made.
You don’t need to memorize everything at once, but it’s good to be aware:

Wind Instruments → 吹く（ふく） “to blow”

• トランペットを吹ふきます。
• Play the trumpet
  
• フルートを吹ふきます。
• Play the flute
  
• サックスを吹ふきます。
• Play the saxophone

Drums / Percussion → 叩く（たたく） “to hit”

• ドラムを叩たたきます。
• Play the drums
  
• 太鼓たいこを叩たたきます。
• Play the taiko drum

These are more specific, but for beginners, 弾ひく is still the main and most useful starting verb.

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Simple Rule to Remember

• Fun / Friends / Games → 遊あそぶ
• Most common instruments (piano, guitar, violin) → 弾ひく
• Blow instruments → 吹ふく (side note)
• Drums / percussion → 叩たたく (side note)

Japanese doesn’t directly translate “play” —
it describes the action you do.

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Mini Quiz ✏️

Choose the correct verb:

遊あそぶ・弾ひく・吹ふく・叩たたく

1. ピアノを（　　　）

a) 遊あそぶ
b) 弾ひく
c) 叩たたく

2. 友ともだちと公園こうえんで（　　　）

a) 遊あそぶ
b) 弾ひく
c) 吹ふく

3. トランペットを（　　　）

a) 遊あそぶ
b) 吹ふく
c) 弾ひく

4. ドラムを（　　　）

a) 弾ひく
b) 叩たたく
c) 遊あそぶ

5. ギターを（　　　）

a) 吹ふく
b) 遊あそぶ
c) 弾ひく

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Answers

1. b) 弾ひく
2. a) 遊あそぶ
3. b) 吹ふく
4. b) 叩たたく
5. c) 弾ひく

If you got most of them right, you already understand the core idea 🎉estions 🙂

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