鼓つづみ

つ

づ

み

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

hand drum; tsuzumi

A traditional Japanese hand drum with an hourglass-shaped body, played by striking the heads with the hands. Often used in Noh, Kabuki, and folk music.

能のう楽がくで鼓つづみを打うつ音おとが響ひびいた。
The sound of the hand drum being struck echoed in the Noh performance.
彼かの女じょは鼓つづみの稽けい古こに通かよっている。
She attends hand drum lessons.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

鼓つづみを打うつto strike/play the tsuzumi drum
能のうの舞ぶ台たいで鼓つづみを打うつ音おとが響ひびいた。
The sound of the tsuzumi being struck echoed on the Noh stage.
鼓つづみを習ならうto learn to play the tsuzumi
彼かの女じょは子こ供どものころから鼓つづみを習ならっている。
She has been learning to play the tsuzumi since childhood.

Kanji

鼓drum, beat, rouse

Related words

太たい鼓こN2
太鼓 is the general word for drums (often large, played with sticks), while 鼓 specifically means the small hourglass-shaped hand drum struck with the palms.

Don't confuse with

小こ鼓つづみ
小鼓 is the smaller of the two hand-drum types held on the shoulder, whereas 鼓 alone usually refers to either type generically or, in Noh contexts, needs the size prefix to specify which drum is meant.
大おお鼓つづみ
大鼓 is the larger hand drum held at the hip and struck with a harder sound than 鼓 used unqualified, so learners should not assume 鼓 always means this bigger drum.

Word family

舌した鼓つづみ
smacking one's lips; lip-smacking
大おお鼓つづみ
large hand drum
小こ鼓つづみ
small hand drum; kotsuzumi
腹はら鼓つづみ
drumming on one's belly; having one's fill
三さんの鼓つづみ
hourglass drum used in Nara-period court music

Written forms

鼓つづみUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling for the traditional Japanese hand drum.
ツヅミUsage2%

Etymology

The kanji 鼓 originally depicted a drum with a stand and a hand holding a stick. The reading つづみ is a native Japanese word of uncertain origin, possibly related to the sound of drumming.