歌う
うたう · utau · JLPT N5 · verb-godan
to sing
🎤 utau = uta (song) + u: to song is to sing
歌 (uta) is the noun for song; adding the verb ending う turns it into the verb to sing. Learn uta and utau as a pair: one is the song, the other is doing it. The same kanji 歌 also appears in 歌手 (kashu), singer.
歌 — 哥 (phonetic 'gē') + 欠 (open mouth)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The right side 欠 depicts a person with an open mouth, supplying the meaning of singing or vocalizing. The left side 哥 gives the sound 'gē'. Together they form the verb and noun for 'song' or 'to sing'.