Lisa wrote to me…
I was born in Tokyo on Johnson’s Air Force Base and have always had a fascination for anything Japanese: songs, stories, customs, and so on.
There is a song I learned to sing as a very little girl, but the only part I remember is: Mushie Mushie on na ney.
I’m not even sure if the spelling is correct, but translated roughly it is: Friends talking on the telephone.
I would appreciate it if you could tell me anything about this song.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Lisa
If anyone is familiar with this song and can help out, please comment below.
UPDATE: Here are the lyrics to The Telephone Song, followed by a loose English translation. It’s sung/chanted to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down.
The Telephone Song
(Japanese Transliteration)
Mushi, mushi ah no ne
Ah no ne
Ah no ne,
Mushi Mushi a no ne
Ah so des ka!
It’s like what you’d hear on one end of a telephone conversation. So, roughly in English, that’s…
Hello, un-huh
Un-huh
Un-huh
Hello, un-huh
You don’t say!
Many thanks to Carolyn Barras for sending this song and for the English translation and to Devon Thagard for his comments about the meaning of the words in English.
There’s more about this song in the comments below.
This article was posted on Sunday, November 19th, 2006 at 5:57 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Kids Songs, Languages, Mama Lisa, Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:37 pm
I love your website!
November 22nd, 2006 at 10:05 am
I’ve asked around about this and haven’t gotten any good answers. Any idea if this was a children’s song or just a standard?…it sounds familiar.
BTW, it’s probably best written “Moshi moshi. Ano ne…” ã‚‚ã?—ã‚‚ã?—ã€?ã?‚ã?®ã?。。。　
ã‚‚(mo)ã?—(shi)ã‚‚(mo)ã?—(shi)ã€?ã?‚(a)ã?®(no)ã?(ne).　
“Moshi moshi” is what you say when you answer the phone, so can be translated as “Hello”…but you wouldn’t say Moshi moshi to someone on the street. “Ano ne” is a conversational gambit people use to open stories or anecdotes, and during the story…roughly translated to “well, err, umm, y’ know, say…, hey…”. 　Everyone uses it…but your average teenager uses it about every 20th word :-)
I’ll let you know if I find anything out!
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Thanks for looking Devon!
November 24th, 2006 at 11:59 pm
My sisters and I used to sing this song. As I was the youngest, I thought one of my sisters made it up. It seemed to poke fun at the phone conversations my mother, who is Japanese, would have with her friends. It seemed not to matter who called or the purpose of the call, this is the conversation we would hear. It is chanted in a sing-song voice.
Mushi, mushi ah no ne
Ah no ne
Ah no ne,
Mushi Mushi a no ne
Ah so des ka!
Mushi, mushi is the greeting one uses to answer the telephone. “Ah no ne,” kind of means “uh-huh,” to let the caller know we are listening. “Ah so des ka!” isn’t really used as a question (“ka” at the end of a sentence indicates is it a question), it is like being incredulous, “You don’t say!”
November 25th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
That’s a cool story Carolyn – thanks for commenting! If you’d ever like to record yourself chanting this (perhaps with your sisters?), I’d be happy to post it!
November 25th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Thanks for the offer, but anybody can sing this song–it is to the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down.”
November 25th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
That’s interesting. I wonder if there’s a Japanese version of “London Bridge is Falling Down”, or how else that tune made it into The Telephone Song.
November 26th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
I feel like I keep gnawing at an old bone yet keep finding savory bits. You posed such an interesting question that I called my mother to ask her about the song. Imagine my surprise when my mother, who is 76 years old, said that she sang that song when she was a kid, and it was to the tune of “London Bridge….” She said that there was an influence of western culture in Japan for quite some time. She said she did not know that the tune she sang was from “London Bridge,” but it was the same tune. She mentioned that another Japanese childhood song was to the blackbird tune.
I asked her to ask my aunts about “Mushi Mushi” and the tune the next time she speaks to them. Shall I keep you posted?
Carolyn
November 27th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Absolutely! If you find out, I’d also be curious what song was sung to the blackbird tune. The connections are all very interesting.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:36 am
The text is:
Moshi Moshi a no ne, a no ne, a no ne.
Moshi Moshi a no ne, ahh so desca?
from: http://www.rainbowsongs.com/songs/MoshiMoshi.shtml
It is to the tune of London Bridge. My son learned it in Karate but that is all I know. I was looking for the English translation, but so far nothing.
April 16th, 2007 at 5:18 am
From Wikipedia:
“As “Tokyo Mose” during and after World War II, Kaner aired on US Army Radio, answering Tokyo Rose’s broadcasts. In Japan, his “Mushi, Mushi Ano-ne” theme song, sung to the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down,” was so popular with Japanese children and GIs alike that Stars and Stripes , the Army paper, called it “the Japanese occupation theme song.” Elsa Maxwell’s column and radio show in 1946 referred to Kaner as “the breath of home to unknown thousands of our young men when they were lonely.””
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kaner
:-)
June 21st, 2007 at 9:50 pm
i also learned this song when i was young my grandma who was japanese sang it to me and my sisters all the time ive always wondered what it ment and if it had anything to do with london bridges thank you all very much and if u fine nething else out let me know i would love to know.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
The actual spellings are:
Moshi moshi ano ne, ano ne, ano ne.
Moshi moshi ano ne, ah so, desu ka.
Here’s another verse:
Arigato minna sai, minna sai, minna sai,
Arigato minna sai, ah so, desu ka.
Goodbye, everyone, everyone, everyone,
Goodbye, everyone, is that so? I see.
(they must have had a party line)
October 10th, 2007 at 9:57 am
No idea where the other verse comes from, but, “arigatoo” actually means “thankyou” NOT “goodbye” (which would be “sayonara”). Also, if the translation is supposed to be “everyone”, then the correct japanese should be “minasan” (NOT “minnna sai”).
October 10th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
When I was 6-8…dad was stationed on Okinawa and we had a maid, Meoko who taught it to me!!! Wotta’ a blast from the past!!! That song has been in my head for 40 years!!! I’m blown away that other people know it too! I thought it was a special song she made up just for ME!! LOL
Em
October 15th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Was just having a flashback from watching a Steven Segal Japanese style movie. I was looking up some of the things I heard and came across your page. I remembered this little ditty from spending 3 yrs. with the Navy in Japan. Brought back many memories. Do you have any translation for another little tune I remember: (The Cherry Blossom Song)…
Something like (forgive spelling) sakuda, sakuda, ya yo ei, etc.?
October 17th, 2007 at 9:42 am
That’s Sakura Sakura – I have that on my Japanese song pages. You can click the first link to go to the song directly (for the lyrics, translation, tune and to hear it sung) or to the second link for all of our Japanese songs.
-Mama Lisa
November 27th, 2007 at 3:35 am
Thx for the history..this is the only song I remembered since I was three. And I had to sing this song as a bet and could not remember the ending and now I know the ending and a little about where the song came from.
March 8th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
OMG! My grandfather used to sing that song to me all the time when I was little! I was just singing it to my newborn and thought I would look it up to see what it meant! Im so happy I found you page! Thank you!! The song will love on another generation!
May 28th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I know this is about two years to late, but I am a preschool teacher needing a japanese preschool song. My family was stationed in Kanto Mura, Japan and I can remember this song even tho it was 40 years ago to the day. Thank you for this site and helping me with a not only a great song to teach my 4-5 year olds, but a pretty groovy blast from the past! :)
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:54 am
“Mushi, mushi ah no ne
Ah no ne
Ah no ne
…..”
do you know where i can download this song?
October 1st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
hey guys,
i’m looking for a japanese song (allegedly) which is heard in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQ9gJRuWiU
if there’s anyone that can type here the name of the song (in japanese of course), i’ll be very pleased.
thanks,
Hector.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
October 2009
I Am so very glad I found this web site.
Thank you everyone who offered their help and comments in finding the Japanese children’s song:
Mush mushi ah no ne Now I can teach it to the children I work with at school. This is so groovy !
December 20th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I was an army brat in Germany in the early 50’s, always jealous of the brats who’s Dads were stationed in the Far East. They always had cool dragon jackets and could sing Moshi Moshi.
January 8th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Its amazing,
I’ve learn this song when I was about 6 years old… and I’m French Canadian. It’s amazing that this song is known over the world for generations now !
Thank you for all the informations about it :D
January 28th, 2010 at 1:25 am
As a young man stationed at Atsugi Japan 1954-1957 I was privileged to have many Japanese friends. I am sure most have moved on to their own beautiful place. At 76 years of age I still say Moshi Moshi when the dingwa is still ringing and occasionally I entertain my colleagues with my own rendition of the children’s telephone song. Hirose,Takada, Kubo,Jimmy,Miyojan and many other names I do not remember, but I remember those wonderful times. A chapter in my life would be entitled dai itchi sho ba sho (No.1 Fire Department) Ah so des.
March 15th, 2010 at 9:48 am
the other part that I remember from this as a child was:
Arigato mina san
mina san
mina san
Arigato mina san
Hai so des ka
the only two words I know here are
Thankyou (Arigato)
Yes! (Hai)
March 15th, 2010 at 11:37 am
arigatô mina san = thank you everyone
Hai sô desu ka = “yes, is that so?” or “yes, really?”
April 15th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Hi Lisa –
I graduated from Johnson High School. I am a concierge, and was looking for the lyrics for some children who live in the building.
My late husband was a customer service rep, and we went to Japan 25 years after I graduated. We went to dinner at a restaurant with the Japanese sales rep and his wife, and they roared with laughter when I sang that song.
Robin
January 17th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
I was born in Hawaii in ’51 (spent most of my life there) and we kids all used to sing that telephone song. I couldn’t quite remember the second verse, thought it was “minasai” instead of “minasan” so was glad to see the correct version.
The other one we knew was “Shojoji” about a rascal tanuki. I just know it phonetically, not in proper Nihongo so I’ll try and look it up.
Very fun songs to sing, good ear training for kindergartners.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:58 am
@Loco Moco
Do you mean that you have heard that song that goes
Sho Sho Shojo Ji,
Shojo Ji is a Raccoon
He is…’alaways’ hungry
so, he sings a-koi koi koi…
Was it that one?
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:13 am
Many years ago, we were stationed in Japan and Okinawa (Air Force family). My kids learned this song in school. The way I remember it, it had at least three verses. It was used to teach some polite Japanese phrases. the first verse is answering the phone, the second is (I think) something like -just a minute please, and the third of course is – thank you. I’m spelling phoenetically, so probably not entirely accurate.
Mushi muchi ano ne
ano ne
ano ne
mushi mushi ano ne
ah so desu ka.
Joto matat kudasai
kudasai
kudasai
joto matay kudasai
ah so desu ka.
Arigato gosaimasu
gosaimasu
gosaimasu
arigato gosaimasu
ah so desu ka.
December 16th, 2011 at 1:48 am
My friend taught my how to sing “London bridge is falling down” excuse the spelling but I’m going by pronunciation.
Roto ishi tae sookoo re, sookoo re. Roto ishi tar sookoo rae. My fair lady.
January 22nd, 2012 at 8:43 am
Hi, I’m a native Japanese.
Just heard this song today on radio, never heard it before. First hilarious but then I was appalled by the lyrics of turn four, so I googled around and found this site.
Well, the transliteration is here:
http://www.horntip.com/mp3/1940s/1940s_victor_%2878%29/5019-A_moshi_moshi_anone__johnny_watson_and_his_orchestra_with_male_chorus.htm
Now, the meanings:
Hello, well,…
Hello, well, uh huh.
Where are you? well,…
Where are you? well,
(I’m in) Nohonbashi (a place in Tokyo).
Please close the door,
Thank you.
Beware young lady, young lady, young lady,
Beware young lady,
Does it hurt?
I don’t know exactly what the last phrase implies, but it doesn’t sound like a children’s song..
According to Wikipedia and other info, the first verse
Moshi moshi anone, anone, anone
along the melody of London bridge was took from a Japanese radio program which was very popular at the time (1947), and the Johnny Watson’s version which I heard was frequently aired on military radio, so probably elder generation Japanese know them, but most post WWII born (like me) don’t.
BTW, to Maddie:
>Roto ishi tae sookoo re, sookoo re. Roto ishi tar sookoo rae. My fair lady.
That doesn’t sound like Japanese.
Perhaps Korean??
The Japanese version is:
Rondon-bashi ochita, ochita, ochita,
Rondon-bashi ochita, saa dou shimashou
(translation: London bridge has fallen down, now what shall (we) do?)
January 22nd, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Thanks for writing. From what we can tell, children only sing the first two verses of this song. But I’m glad you pointed this out. We won’t post the whole song on our Japanese pages.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Oh my–for some reason, the telephone song started in my head this morning. First learned it from our maid Kozuko when we were stationed on Okinawa in 1956. So I decided to google–and what a host of memories you have all unleashed!!
May 20th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Hi So I was born in Okinawa and lived there until I was 3 and some. I had a wonderful Okinawan woman who was my nurse. I spoke no english when my mom brought me back to the states. I remember the Mushi mushi song . . .but I learned in another way also.
Chotto matte, ano nai
ano nai, ano nai
Chotto matte, ano nai
ah so desu ka!
this mean wait a minute if you please. . .
thanks for the lovely posts.
October 24th, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Oh my gosh! I’m so excited to see this thread. I was just singing this song to my 11 year old and telling her how I learned it as a little girl when we lived in Japan the 60s. My dad was in the Navy. I KNEW if if put “Mushi Mushi ano ney” in my browser something would pop up. I did not know, though, how sentimental this song is to so many other American kids who lived in Japan! Thanks for the smile everyone.
October 24th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Would you like to sing it for us Stacey? :) (Or anyone else?)
July 19th, 2014 at 3:01 am
I learned this song when we were stationed in Tokyo 1954-57, when I was ages 4-6. Recently I met a Japanese woman my age who had spent most of her life in the US and remembered about as much Japanese as I did–a word here and there, how to count to ten, etc.–but we had a great time singing this song together. However, we both remembered it as:
Moshi, moshi, kutasai, kutasai, kutasai,
Moshi, moshi, kutasia
Ah so des-ka.
November 26th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Hey make a CD on japanese jingles
February 11th, 2016 at 3:33 pm
My Father was stationed in Japan during the late 1950’s. He was in the USN. He would tell us kids how friendly the Japanese people were to the US Soldiers. He taught me this song before I started Kindergarten. My Kindergarten teacher made me sing it to the principle of my school. I am now in my 50’s and I still sing this little tune inside my head. Gosh I love and miss you Pop!
February 11th, 2016 at 4:25 pm
What a lovely memory! Would you like to sing it for us? We’d be happy to add your recording to the site. Best wishes, Mama Lisa
June 13th, 2016 at 10:44 pm
I was born in Japan also. My Air Force father was stationed there when he met my mother. We came back to the US when I was 3 months old in 1952. My mother taught me this song, it was really the only Japanese she taught me. I know a few of the basics, good morning, good bye, rice, water etc. but that’s about it. I will soon be 64 and this song is still in my head!
April 6th, 2018 at 6:16 am
I was a teenager on a tour of Japan in 1961 when the bus hostess taught us (I think, excuse spelling). I need corrections please!
Moshi moshi
Anone anone
Anone.
Moshi moshi anone.
A sodesuka
Chotto matte
Kudasai kudasai
Kudasai
Chotto matte
Kudasai sayonara
which she said meant
Hello hello
Do you sell
What am I
Going to sell
Is that so
Wait a moment
Wait a moment
Madam
I understand
Never say goodbye
May 26th, 2018 at 3:41 am
Indeed a blast from the past! I have several children’s songs that I learned when on Okinawa in the early 50′. They were taught and sung at school and by the maids. They were proof-read on a trip to New Zealand in the 90’s where I sat in a glass-bottom boat with Japanese tourists. They very kindly made sure the lyrics were correct – and proceeded to get us all singing. What a kick to sing kids’ songs with the whole group! Typical for the older brain: how easy to remember the songs learned as a 6-year-old, but not so easy to remember how to deal with the new-fangled MP-3 player. :-)
The way I understood it was that for the Moshi Moshi song, each verse taught a basic phrase, like chotto mate kudasai (wait a minute, please) ikaga desuka (how are you/how is it) a so desu ka (that’s right/that is how it is) Then again, it is kind of a folk song, too, so it’s no surprise that there are variations.
Do you all remember “ChoCho”? We even learned to dance and sing that one. Asobe yo tomare!
January 10th, 2019 at 9:56 pm
I’m an American born in Japan in 1949. My parents told me that my first words included this song. So grateful for this information, especially pox’s insights and the amazing link to the Johnny Watson audio. It fills in some of the vague suggestions in Wikipedia about the not-so-cute history of the song.
If I can ask a slightly off-topic question, does anyone in this group know about Grant Hospital? I know that Grant Heights was one of the American compounds in Tokyo, where my family might have lived, but haven’t found if it included Grant Hospital. Both are long gone, of course.
March 18th, 2019 at 5:38 pm
Here’s a blast from the past, my dad was stationed at Tachikawa Airfield in 1945-1948, my brother and I learned this song from the maids that worked for my mom. I’ve been trying to remember the words for 70 years. Funny how something like this stays with you after all these years .
May 5th, 2021 at 4:02 am
I was in the Navy, stationed in Hakata, Japan 1970-1971, and some of the others Navy guys in the barracks would sing this song, which I learned from them. A telephone answer song, which we heard the Japanese use. For some reason the song popped into my head from 50 years earlier, I looked it up. Thank you!
July 28th, 2021 at 7:53 pm
My dad was a Marine in WWII and came home in 1945 when I was 4. I remember sitting in a chair that was my great Aunt Marian’s that I now have, waiting for him to climb to our 3rd floor apt. I remember being very nervous as I did not know this man who was my dad and was coming up the stairs. I think I remember the apt door opening, but do not remember whatever happened next. He later taught me a song which from what I remember, and spelled phonetically, was : mushy mushy on no nay, on no nay, on no nay, mushy mushy on no nay, ah so deska. I had no idea what it might mean but for some reason have always remembered it and, yes, he sang it to London Bridge. It never occurred to me to try to find out what it meant till today when someone posted the London Bridge song on fb and I was trying to add the ah so deska to the end of it and the brain cells finally kicked in and I realized I was combining two sets of words. Got lucky and found this post. He is long gone, but would be laughing at this adventure of mine. He also taught me a song called Dirty LIL: went: Dirty Lil, dirty lil, lived upon a garbage Hill, dirty Lil, dirty Lil, make spitting noises) dirty Lil. That was in English and kind of an odd song to teach a 4-5 yr. old but I loved it as I got to make the spitting noises. It did, however, make me a little leery of what the Japanese song meant! LOL I remember him telling me he had lived with a Japanese family while he was “over there” which I never questioned till years later and when it was too late to ask him why he was living with them. He almost never talked about his war experiences.