Lullabies: children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Nostalgic songs for putting children to sleep.
Lullabies have existed since ancient times in every country—they’re songs for soothing children.
I’ve put together a list of many lullabies, from the kind you might have heard on NHK’s educational channel to arrangements of foreign folk songs.
I’m sure there are songs in here that you sang together with friends when you were a child.
If you listen again now with the mindset of returning to childhood, you might discover something new.
If you “struggle every time to put your child to sleep,” please try listening—and singing—these songs to them at least once.
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Lullabies: Children's Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes. Nostalgic Bedtime Songs (11–20)
Lullaby of the FishSakushi: Inoue Hisashi / Sakkyoku: Aoshima Hiroshi
This song, with lyrics by Hisashi Inoue and music by Hiroshi Aoshima, appears in Inoue’s picture book “Eleven Cats,” where the eleven cats sing it to lull a big fish to sleep and then catch it.
That said, as you know, fish don’t have eyelids, so it seems very difficult to tell whether they’re asleep.
I’ve heard that bonito and tuna can sleep while swimming.
Many lullabies overseas are in triple meter, but it’s curious that Japanese lullabies are mostly in duple meter.
red dragonflySakushi: Miki Rofū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku
When it comes to Japanese evening songs, I think many people immediately think of Akatonbo (Red Dragonfly).
It’s a dusk song loved across generations and regions.
Listening to it brings back fond memories of childhood, when I felt I had to go home for dinner.
It’s a song we definitely want to keep passing down to our children.
Above all, its gentle melody and lyrics that unfold such rich imagery make it perfect as a lullaby.
It’s also great for nap time.
Potapon’s LullabyTokyo Haiji
Potapon’s Lullaby is a lullaby created by Tokyo Heidi, a sister creator duo known for their illustrations and animations.
It features Potapon, a tiny flapjack octopus living under the sea, as the main character.
Above all, its gentle melody and the dreamy, spacious sound are captivating.
Listening to it is so soothing that even mothers might drift off before they know it, wrapping you in a tender, cradle-like embrace.
Lullaby of Negoro
The lullaby “Negoro no Komori-uta,” which spread centered around Negoro-ji Temple in Wakayama Prefecture.
In the Muromachi period, Negoro-ji in Kii (Wakayama) boasted more than 2,700 temple buildings, but they were destroyed in warfare.
This is a lullaby sung in remembrance of that Negoro-ji.
As a Wakayama lullaby, the lyrics are notable for the Wakayama dialect ending in “-yo,” giving rise to distinctive turns of phrase.
Above all, it’s one of Japan’s traditional lullabies now fading from everyday life—a piece with a unique pathos that lulls you into a slow, pleasant drowsiness.
Sleepy kitty, don’t butt in.
This lullaby, said to be an old one from Okayama Prefecture, is best known in the arranged version by Kósçak Yamada.
From the lyrics, it appears to be sung by a young girl working as a nursemaid.
Much like “Itsuki no Komoriuta,” it vividly conveys the feelings of a caregiver who struggles when the child won’t fall asleep.
Japanese lullabies are in duple meter, reflecting a history of gently patting the child on the downbeat to help them sleep.
It’s also enjoyable to notice how their groove differs from Western lullabies.
Try listening to lullabies from various countries.
Lullaby of the Enchanted Riveryoshida yō
Magical River Lullaby, sung by actress You Yoshida and used as an insert song in Disney’s Frozen 2.
A soothing piece with a gentle, northern ambience, tenderly sung to an acoustic guitar accompaniment.
It’s very popular with young children, so kids who’ve seen Frozen 2 will likely be delighted to hear it as a bedtime lullaby.
Like this song, it’s a piece that can fill both mothers and children with a gentle warmth.
Nen-nen Neyama no
The meaning of the lyrics isn’t entirely clear, but this song with its spell-like words is delightful.
In the past, mice were probably more familiar creatures, scurrying around in the attic.
It makes you think that perhaps someone, while putting a child to sleep, heard mice in the attic and improvised lyrics based on the sounds.
It feels like touching the roots of lullabies—very intriguing and heartwarming, doesn’t it? It was reportedly sung in places like Nagano Prefecture.
There’s also an organization called the Japan Lullaby Association that collects and studies various lullabies.
Hakata Lullaby
The Hakata Lullaby from Fukuoka Prefecture has been sung since the Taisho era.
Its lyrics are in classical Japanese, which can make some parts hard to catch nowadays, and while the content is a bit dark, it’s a powerful, driving lullaby.
Many traditional Japanese lullabies express lament or sorrow, and the Hakata Lullaby is one of them, but its distinct liveliness is often seen as very “Hakata-like.” There may well be people in Fukuoka who grew up listening to this song.
Tenma Market
In the Edo period, there was a job known as “komori musume,” which, as the name suggests, involved looking after children—essentially like a modern-day babysitter.
Many of these komori musume came from rural areas to cities like Osaka and Edo as seasonal workers.
“Tenma no Ichi” is a traditional song set in Osaka that spread as far as the Shikoku region and is associated with these nursemaids.
The lyrics depict a man diligently working in an Osaka market, showing how he loads daikon radishes onto a boat and goes to sell them—reflecting the city’s use of waterways in its markets.
Seven-year-old childSakushi: Noguchi Ujo / Sakkyoku: Motoori Nagayo
“Nanatsu no Ko,” a Japanese song widely beloved as one of the top eight selections from a nationwide poll of “your favorite children’s songs.” It is often sung as a lullaby and has long helped children drift off to sleep.
The lyrics are very cute, so be sure to try singing it with your child.
