It is often said that the origin of the words in Kimigayo is the "Kokin-Wakashu" (Volume seven of Kokin-Wakashu, gaka (celebration poetry), first waka, title not known, author not known, Kokka Taikan (Comprehensive National Poems - No. 343), but, the first line of the text in Kokinshu is "Wagakimiha (literally, 'my lord')" which does not coincide completely with the presently adopted form.
歌詞の出典はしばしば『古今和歌集』（古今和歌集巻七賀歌巻頭歌、題しらず、読人しらず、国歌大観番号343番）とされるが、古今集のテクストにおいては初句を「わが君は」とし、現在採用されているかたちとの完全な一致は見られない。