音声|おんせいonsei[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounvoice; speech; sound of a voice
2. nounsound (e.g. of a TV)
   テレビの音声おんせいを低ひくくしてもいい？↗

   Do you mind if I turn down the TV?

• Synonym声こえNeutralThe everyday word for voices and animal sounds, and also for opinions or calls ('the voice of the people'). 「音声」 is more technical, as in 「音声入力」 or TV sound.
• SynonymボイスNeutralA loanword mostly seen in set terms and industry jargon, e.g. 「ボイスメッセージ」, 「ボイストレーニング」. 「音声」 is the more general word.
• SynonymサウンドNeutralA loanword mostly for the sound effects and tone of music, instruments and games. 「音声」 leans toward speech and voice or sound signals.
• Synonym音おとNeutralRead 「おん」, it usually means speech-sound units or the Chinese-derived kanji reading, as in 「音読み」. 「音声」 is an actual produced or recorded sound.
• Synonym声音せいおんWrittenRead 「せいおん」; a rare, written-style word for the human voice. Say 「声」 in daily speech and 「音声」 in technical contexts.
• Related音おんNeutralRead 「おん」, it usually means speech-sound units or the Chinese-derived kanji reading, as in 「音読み」. 「音声」 is an actual produced or recorded sound.
• Related音響おんきょうNeutralCovers the reverberation and quality of sound, audio equipment and acoustics, as in 「音響設備」. 「音声」 leans toward voices or sound signals in programmes.
• Related語音ごおんWrittenA written linguistics term for the speech sounds that make up a language. 「音声」 also covers sounds in recordings and broadcasts, not just speech sounds.

For people's voices say 「声」. 「音声」 is the technical word for recorded, broadcast or machine-processed sound, as in speech input or TV audio. For audio gear use 「音響」 or 「サウンド」; the others are rare or specialist.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （おんせい）音おとまたは声こえ。