also: そう
noun
koto; Japanese zither
A traditional Japanese stringed instrument with 13 strings and movable bridges, played with picks on the fingers.
彼女は琴を習っています。
She is learning to play the koto.
お正月に琴の音色を聞いた。
I heard the sound of the koto at New Year's.
noun
Only with reading こと
Archaic general term for stringed instruments; now only encountered in historical contexts or old texts.
古い文献では、琴が弦楽器全般を指すことがある。
In old documents, 琴 can refer to stringed instruments in general.
noun
zheng; guzheng; Chinese zither
Only when written 箏 / 筝
A Chinese plucked zither with movable bridges, ancestor of the Japanese koto; usually read そう when referring to the Chinese instrument.
中国の筝は、日本の箏よりも弦が多い。
The Chinese zheng has more strings than the Japanese koto.
Specifically refers to the Japanese koto with movable bridges; less common than 琴 in general use.
Reading そう is used for the Chinese zheng; rare in modern Japanese.
Variant of 箏; also used for the Japanese koto.
Variant of 箏 with reading そう for the Chinese zheng.
The Japanese koto derives from the Chinese zheng, introduced to Japan during the Nara period. The kanji 琴 originally referred to a different ancient Chinese instrument, but in Japanese it became the standard character for the koto.