Kanji 囃 play (music), accompany, beat time 子 child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM Related words 伴ばん 奏そう 伴奏 is a general term for musical accompaniment in any genre, while 囃子 specifically refers to traditional Japanese ensembles for noh, kabuki, and festivals.
Word family· 8 kabuki entrance music; musical accompaniment for a kabuki actor's entrance · rakugo entrance music; shamisen accompaniment for a rakugo storyteller's entrance
musical accompanist (noh, kabuki); background instrumentalist
short Noh piece with three seated performers
tanuki belly-drumming; sound of tanuki drumming on their bellies
festival music
Show 3 more Show fewer informal Noh musical performance
five court-musician dolls
festival orchestra music; festival music
Written forms 囃子はやし Usage 85%
Standard kanji form; used in news and common contexts.
はやし Usage 13%
Kana spelling is sometimes used, especially in informal contexts or when the kanji is considered difficult.
囃はやし Usage 2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the full form 囃子 is preferred.
Etymology Derived from the verb 囃す (はやす , 'to play accompaniment, to cheer'). The noun form 囃子 refers to the resulting music or ensemble.
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