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シロフォン (shirofon) Japanese meaning: xylophone | Kotomora

シロフォン

also: シロホン · ザイロフォン · ザイロフォウン · ジロフォン

シ

ロ

フォ

ン

Meanings

1

xylophone

Standard term for the percussion instrument; used in everyday and musical contexts.

子こ供どもがシロフォンを叩たたいて遊あそんでいる。
The child is playing the xylophone.

Don't confuse with

マリンバ
マリンバ and シロフォン are both wooden-bar mallet instruments, but シロフォン has a brighter, shorter tone and usually a smaller range.

Written forms

シロホン
Variant spelling using ホ instead of フォ; less common but still encountered.
ザイロフォン
rarely-used kana form
Rarely used kana form; closer to the original Greek-derived pronunciation.

Etymology

Borrowed from English 'xylophone', ultimately from Greek xylon 'wood' + phōnē 'sound'. The spelling シロフォン reflects the English pronunciation, while ザイロフォン is closer to the Greek.

オーケストラでシロフォンが活かつ躍やくする曲きょくがある。

There are pieces where the xylophone plays an active role in the orchestra.