From last weekend’s Fuji Rock to the upcoming Rock in Japan and Summer Sonic events, Japan is abuzz with the excitement of 夏フェス (natsu fesu, summer festivals).
These フェス offer a great opportunity to both discover new bands as well as new vocabulary, especially when it comes to 同音異義語 (dō’on igigo, homophones) and 発音が似ている単語 (hatsuon ga nite-iru tango, words with similar sounds), which are also known as 類音語 (ruiongo, similar-sounding words).
The Japanese language has many homophones because of the heavy influence of kanji and the limited variation in syllables. This can be a burden for Japanese learners but an advantage to musicians who tend to 韻を踏む (in o fumu, rhyme) in their lyrics.