ankooru ni ohako o utai, tomodachi to hamotta.

direct object particle

Breakdown of ankooru ni ohako o utai, tomodachi to hamotta.

• 友とも達だち: friend
• と: companion particle
• に: purpose particle

Questions & Answers about ankooru ni ohako o utai, tomodachi to hamotta.

Why is 十八番 read おはこ here? I thought those kanji were じゅうはちばん.

Yes—normally 十八番 would be read じゅうはちばん and literally mean number 18.

But in this expression, 十八番 is a special word read おはこ, meaning:

• one’s specialty
• one’s signature piece
• the thing one is especially good at

In a singing or karaoke context, 十八番を歌う means to sing your go-to song or best song.

So this is an important vocabulary item to memorize as a set:

• 十八番（おはこ）

It is not something you could easily guess just from the kanji.

Why does 十八番 take を? Is it being treated like a song?

Yes, basically.

The particle を marks the direct object of 歌う. Even though 十八番 literally means one’s specialty / signature piece, in this context it refers to the song or performance being sung.

So 十八番を歌う means:

• to sing one’s signature song
• to sing one’s specialty number

Japanese often lets a word like 十八番 stand on its own without adding 曲 or 歌.

What does アンコールに mean, and why is the particle に used?