How to say "lyrical" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- na-adjectiveA katakana borrowing straight from English 'lyrical', keeping that word's sense of songlike, flowing expressiveness. It is less common, and in many contexts 叙情的 is the safer choice.
- 叙情的じょじょうてきna-adjectiveCovers the core sense of 'lyrical': language, music, or art that is poetic and expressive of emotion. Use it to describe a work or passage as emotionally expressive in a poetic way.
Use 叙情的 for the core sense of expressing emotion in a poetic way; 「リリカル」 is the katakana borrowing of the English word itself, and both are comparatively uncommon choices.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
