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笙 (しょう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

笙しょう

also: そう

しょ

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

shō; Japanese mouth organ

A traditional Japanese free-reed wind instrument made of bamboo pipes, used in gagaku (court music).

雅が楽がくでは笙しょうが和わ音おんを奏かなでる。
In gagaku, the shō plays chords.
笙しょうの音ね色いろは天てんの声こえを表あらわすと言いわれる。
The tone of the shō is said to represent the voice of heaven.

Written forms

笙Usage<1%
- しょう
  Standard kanji for the instrument; reading しょう is the most common.
- そう
  Alternate reading, less common; may appear in historical or specialized contexts.

そうUsage100%

Kanji

笙a reed instrument

Similar words

篳ひち篥りき
A double-reed instrument also used in gagaku, with a more piercing sound compared to the shō's soft chords.
龍りゅう笛てき
A transverse flute used in gagaku, playing melody rather than the sustained clusters of the shō.

Etymology

The instrument originated in China and was introduced to Japan as part of gagaku. The kanji 笙 is used for this type of mouth organ.