Hatsune Miku facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | Crypton Future Media |
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| Initial release | August 31, 2007 |
| Stable release |
Hatsune Miku NT V2 (New Type Version 2) / March 18, 2025
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| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| Platform | PC |
| Available in |
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| Type | Vocal synthesizer application |
| License | Proprietary (Vocaloid voice/software) Creative Commons BY-NC (character design) |
Hatsune Miku, also known as CV01, is a special computer voice program. It was created by Crypton Future Media. Miku's voice sounds like a singer.
Her official character is a 16-year-old girl. She has long, bright turquoise twintails. Miku is famous as a virtual idol. She performs at live virtual concerts. These shows use animated holographic projections on a special screen.
Miku's voice uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2, Vocaloid 3, and Vocaloid 4 technologies. She also uses Crypton Future Media's Piapro Studio. She was the second Vocaloid to use the Vocaloid 2 system. Her voice is based on Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita.
The name Hatsune Miku combines Japanese words. Hatsu (初 (first)), ne (音 (sound)), and miku (ミク (future)). This name shows she was the first in Crypton's "Character Vocal Series." The number 01 is on her left shoulder in official art.
Hatsune Miku became very popular in the early 2010s. She is a cultural icon in Japan. Her outfit is often worn by fans at conventions.
Contents
Creating Hatsune Miku
Hatsune Miku was the first Vocaloid made by Crypton Future Media. Crypton had previously helped release other Vocaloids like Meiko and Kaito. Miku was planned as the first of the "Character Vocal Series." This series also includes Kagamine Rin/Len and Megurine Luka. Each character has a unique concept and singing style.
During Miku's creation, Crypton wanted a voice that sounded great. They also knew the voice needed a cool image. The company first aimed the product at professional music makers. However, it quickly became popular with many other fans.
The manga artist Kei Garō designed Miku's look. He was told she should be an android. Her main color was chosen to be turquoise. This color was inspired by Yamaha's music synthesizers. Parts of her outfit, like the computer interface on her sleeve, also came from these synthesizers.
Miku's voice was recorded from voice actress Saki Fujita. Her voice samples were carefully controlled for pitch and tone. Each sample contains a single Japanese sound. When these sounds are put together, they form full lyrics and phrases.
Hatsune Miku was first released on August 31, 2007. She was marketed as "an android diva in a near-future world where songs are lost." An English voice library for Miku was released on August 31, 2013.
Software Updates
On April 30, 2010, an add-on called Hatsune Miku Append was released. It gave Miku six new voice tones. These included Soft, Sweet, Dark, Vivid, Solid, and Light. Miku Append needed the original program to work. This was a new idea for Vocaloids at the time.
An independent programmer created MikuMikuDance. This free software helps fans make 3D animations. It helped many fan-made videos become popular. It also boosted the popularity of Vocaloid songs.
An English voicebank for Hatsune Miku was released on August 31, 2013. The Japanese Vocaloid 3 library for Miku came out on September 26, 2013. It updated her previous Vocaloid 2 voices. These voices could use the new Cross-Synthesis system in Vocaloid 4.
Hatsune Miku received an update for Yamaha's Vocaloid 4 engine. This version was called Hatsune Miku V4X. It used a new EVEC system for Piapro Studio. This system allowed for different vocal tones by using recorded vowels. Hatsune Miku V4X/V4 English was released on August 30, 2016.
A Mandarin Chinese voicebank was released in September 2017. This made Hatsune Miku the first official trilingual Vocaloid. Her Chinese name is 初音未来; Chūyīn Wèilái.
In 2019, Crypton Future Media announced Miku would use a new engine. This new engine was called Hatsune Miku NT (Newtype). The full version of Piapro Studio and Hatsune Miku NT were released on November 27, 2020. Hatsune Miku NT V2 was officially launched on March 18, 2025.
Promoting Hatsune Miku
Miku has been widely promoted since 2008. She was first aimed at professional musicians. By September 2007, Hatsune Miku was the top-selling software on Amazon.co.jp. She sold 40,000 units by July 2008. By January 2011, she had sold 60,000 units.
Merchandising
Miku's success led to many marketing opportunities. Most of her products came out after her software release. This was a response to her huge popularity. Crypton Future Media often uses Miku's name for most of their Vocaloid products. By March 2012, sales of Hatsune Miku brand goods reached about ¥10 billion. Her name is the most recognized among all Vocaloids.
In 2011, Crypton started promoting Miku to audiences in the United States. Her song "World is Mine" became a hit. It ranked high on iTunes' world singles list. The English version of Miku helps Japanese music producers reach a wider audience.
Good Smile Racing
Since 2008, Good Smile Racing has featured Hatsune Miku. Her image appears on race cars. For example, a BMW Z4 E86 was painted with Hatsune Miku art in 2008 and 2009. Special "Racing Queens" models also wore Miku-themed outfits at races.
In 2010, the first official "Racing Miku" design was created. This design showed Miku in an orange racing suit. Each year since, a new "Racing Miku" design has been made. These designs are often created by famous illustrators. In 2013, a team called Team Mirai used a Racing Miku-designed bike in the Isle of Man TT race.
Winter Festivals
Since 2010, Crypton Future Media has sponsored winter festivals in Sapporo. For these events, Hatsune Miku has a special design called Snow Miku. At first, this was just a recolored Miku. But since 2011, unique designs have been created each year. Figurines are also made based on these yearly designs.
In 2012, several ice and snow sculptures of Miku were made. One Snow Miku sculpture collapsed on February 7, 2012. It was rebuilt with better support.
Hatsune Miku's Impact
Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video website, helped Miku become famous. Users posted videos of songs made with her voice. A popular video showed a small version of Miku, Hachune Miku, singing "Ievan Polkka." She was spinning a spring onion, which made her linked to them.
Nico Nico Douga became a place for fans to create together. A popular song might inspire new drawings, animations, or remixes. Creators would even share unfinished work to get ideas from others.
In September 2009, three small figures of "Hachune Miku" were launched on a rocket. In late 2009, fans started a petition. They wanted a Hatsune Miku plate to be sent into space on the Japanese Venus spacecraft, Akatsuki. Over 14,000 signatures were collected. On May 21, 2010, Akatsuki launched with three plates showing Hatsune Miku.
The character Black Rock Shooter looks like Hatsune Miku. However, she is a separate character. She became famous from a song and inspired figurines and an anime series.
The flag of Chiba city looks a bit like Hatsune Miku. On her 10th anniversary in 2017, the city's website logo temporarily changed to look like Miku. Some people believe Japanese culture, with its love for giving objects a soul, helped Miku's popularity.
Hatsune Miku is sometimes jokingly called the creator of Minecraft and Harry Potter. This happened after some online discussions involving the original creators of these works.
Akihiko Kondo, a Japanese school administrator, held a special ceremony in November 2018. He expressed his deep appreciation for Hatsune Miku. Crypton Future Media stated they respected this as an individual's way of showing appreciation.
The name "Miku" ("mi" (三), "ku" (九)) is also used as internet slang for "Thank you." This comes from the Japanese numbers 3 (san or mi) and 9 (kyū or ku). So, 39 (sanjūkyū) can sound like "miku."
Appearances in Other Media
Miku's popularity led to many appearances in other media. She is the main character in a manga series called Maker Hikōshiki Hatsune Mix. She also appears in anime like Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Animation and Dropkick on My Devil! X.
Sega created a series of rhythm games called Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA. These games feature Miku and other Crypton Vocaloids. The series has sold 6 million copies. Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project Mirai was made for the Nintendo 3DS. A mobile game, Project Sekai: Colorful Stage!, also features Miku and original characters.
Miku's clothes appear as costumes in many video games. These include PangYa, Tales of Graces, Phantasy Star Portable 2, The Idolm@ster 2, Skullgirls, and Brave Frontier.
In 2012, Miku collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs for an opera called The End. Vocaloids performed all the roles in this opera.
Korg introduced "Miku Stomp" in 2014. This guitar effect unit makes Miku's voice sounds. Miku's songs appear in Just Dance Wii U, Just Dance 2016, Just Dance 2017, and Just Dance 2018. She was a DLC character in Persona 4: Dancing All Night in 2015.
In August 2017, Ricoh released a special 360° camera. It was branded with Hatsune Miku imagery. Mobile apps allowed users to place Miku images into their 360° photos.
In 2020, Hatsune Miku appeared as DLC for Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash. In 2024, two songs from Hatsune Miku Colorful Stage! were in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. A Hatsune Miku DLC was added to Crypt of the NecroDancer in April 2024. Also in April 2024, a collaboration with Magic The Gathering was announced.
Miku-themed cars appear in the racing game Assetto Corsa Competizione. In Season 7 of Fortnite Festival, Hatsune Miku was an unlockable character. She also received vehicle cosmetics in Rocket League. Miku appears as a playable character in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Project Voltage
In September 2023, a collaboration between Pokémon and Hatsune Miku was announced. It featured 18 illustrations and 18 songs with music videos.
Hatsune Miku's Music
By August 2010, over 22,000 original songs featured Hatsune Miku. By 2011, she had over 100,000 songs. Crypton's website highlights her voice in over 100,000 unique songs.
Several Vocaloid albums have been very successful. Exit Tunes Presents Vocalogenesis feat. Hatsune Miku was the first Vocaloid album to top the Japanese charts in May 2010. Other albums like Supercell and Re:package also feature Miku's voice. The viral Nyan Cat meme used an Utau cover of a song originally featuring Miku.
Hatsune Miku performed her first "live" virtual concert on August 22, 2009. This was at Animelo Summer Live in Japan. She made her first overseas appearance in Singapore in November 2009. Miku's first solo concert, "Miku no Hi Kanshasai 39's Giving Day," was in Tokyo on March 9, 2010. She performed in the United States in Los Angeles on July 2, 2011.
Hatsune Miku performed at the Summer Sonic 2013 festival. She also teamed up with designer Louis Vuitton for a Vocaloid opera in Paris in November 2013.
Hatsune Miku was the opening act for Lady Gaga's world tour in 2014. She performed from May 6 to June 3. In March 2014, Miku and Crypton Future Media worked with the band Bump of Chicken. They recorded a music video for the song "Ray." This video showed the band singing with Miku in real time.
Pharrell Williams made a remix of a song featuring Hatsune Miku. On October 8, 2014, Miku appeared on American TV. She performed "Sharing the World" on the Late Show with David Letterman. Miku was also featured in a song by Namie Amuro. The American electronic band Anamanaguchi opened for the 2016 Hatsune Miku Expo tour. They even recorded a song called "Miku."
Big Boi (from Outkast) used a sample of Miku's voice in his 2017 song "Kill Jill." Slushii collaborated with Hatsune Miku on the song "Through the Night" in May 2018.
Hatsune Miku was announced as a performer for Coachella 2020. However, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 11, 2020, Miku was featured on a remix of Ashnikko's song "Daisy 2.0." She was announced to perform at Coachella again in January 2024.
In 2022, the American rock band Set It Off featured Hatsune Miku. She provided some vocals for their single "Why Do I."
