踊ってみた
Meaning
'I tried dancing it' — a genre of online dance cover videos.
踊ってみた is the dance counterpart to 歌ってみた. Creators learn and perform choreography from idol songs, Vocaloid music videos, anime openings, or viral dances, then upload their videos. The genre has its own celebrities and events, including live 踊ってみた meetups. Quality ranges from bedroom recordings to professionally filmed productions. It's been a major driver of dance culture among Japanese youth.
Examples
- 踊ってみた動画撮るために衣装まで作ったの本気すぎる。 They even made a costume for their dance cover video — that's next-level dedication.
- この振り付け難しすぎて踊ってみたやりたいけど無理。 This choreography is way too hard — I want to do a dance cover but there's no way.
- 踊ってみたイベントでリアルに会えるのが楽しいんだよ。 The fun part about dance cover events is getting to meet people in person.
Usage Guide
Context: social media, video platforms, dance communities
Tone: creative, energetic
Do Say
- 踊ってみた始めたいけど、場所どこで撮ってるの？ (I want to start making dance covers — where do you film them?)
- この曲の踊ってみた、振り付け完コピですごい。 (This dance cover perfectly copied the choreography — impressive.)
Don't Say
- 踊ってみた動画の容姿を批判するのはNG (Criticizing the physical appearance of dance cover creators is not okay)
Common Mistakes
- Thinking 踊ってみた is just TikTok dances — the genre predates TikTok and often features full-length choreography
Origin & History
Emerged on Nico Nico Douga in the late 2000s as a sister genre to 歌ってみた. The '-てみた' format was applied to dance, creating a massive community of amateur and semi-professional dancers sharing choreography online.
Cultural Context
Era: Late 2000s Nico Nico Douga culture
Generation: Teens to 20s primarily
Social background: Universal
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. While similar to global dance cover culture, 踊ってみた has its own community norms, events, and celebrities distinct from TikTok culture.
Related Phrases
Flashcards, quizzes, audio pronunciation and spaced repetition