biwa; Japanese lute
A traditional Japanese short-necked fretted lute, often used in narrative storytelling.
He played the biwa in a quiet room.
She played the biwa while telling an old tale.
The biwa priest played the biwa in accompaniment to the tale.
琴 is a long zither with movable bridges played with finger picks, quite different in shape and technique from the lute-like 琵琶.
This is the conventional counter for stringed instruments like the biwa.
gakubiwa; large 4-stringed biwa used in gagaku
biwa song; Song of the Lute
Biwa oily gudgeon
Biwa trout; Biwa salmon
Heike biwa; Heike lute · Heike chanting with biwa accompaniment
Standard kanji spelling for the instrument.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing and for learners.
The word びわ is derived from the Chinese pipa (琵琶), a similar pear-shaped lute. The instrument was introduced to Japan from China around the 7th–8th centuries.
Satsuma biwa; Satsuma lute