Karaoke (カラオケ) is a Japanese compound word combining "kara" (空) meaning "empty" and "oke" (オケ) short for "orchestra".
Originally referring to instrumental music recordings without vocals, the term now primarily denotes a form of interactive entertainment where amateur singers sing along to recorded music using a microphone.
Key features of karaoke include:
1. Lyrics displayed on a screen
2. Adjustable vocal removal
3. Scoring systems in modern versions
4. Multi-language song selections