胡弓
こ
きゅ
う
Meanings
1
kokyū; Japanese bowed lute
A traditional Japanese bowed string instrument with three or four strings, distinct from the shamisen or koto.
The kokyū resembles the shamisen but is played with a bow.
She is learning to play the kokyū.
2
Asian bowed string instrument
Broadly refers to any Asian string instrument played with a bow, such as the Chinese erhu or the Mongolian morin khuur. In modern Japanese, 胡弓 usually refers specifically to the Japanese instrument (sense 1).
The word kokyū once referred to various Asian bowed string instruments.