声

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 声, read こえ, and it is a noun for the sound a person produces when speaking or singing.
• Basic usage: 声 means a person's voice and can express qualities such as brightness or trembling heard in that voice.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A voice heard from elsewhere and a tremor revealing nervousness
  • Both examples use the form 声. The first is a teacher's cheerful voice heard from the hallway; the second is the speaker's own voice trembling slightly with nervousness.
• A cheerful sound from the hallway and a nervous tremor
  • 廊下から先生の明るい声が聞こえました。 — I heard the teacher's cheerful voice from the hallway.
  • 緊張して声が少し震えてしまいました。 — My voice trembled slightly from nervousness.