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鼓 (つづみ, tsuzumi) Japanese meaning: hand drum | Kotomora
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The sound of the hand drum being struck echoed in the Noh performance.
She attends hand drum lessons.
Don't confuse with 小鼓 is the smaller of the two hand-drum types held on the shoulder, whereas 鼓 alone usually refers to either type generically or, in Noh contexts, needs the size prefix to specify which drum is meant.
大鼓 is the larger hand drum held at the hip and struck with a harder sound than 鼓 used unqualified, so learners should not assume 鼓 always means this bigger drum.
Word family smacking one's lips; lip-smacking
large hand drum
small hand drum; kotsuzumi
drumming on one's belly; having one's fill
Written forms 鼓つづみ Usage 98%
Standard kanji spelling for the traditional Japanese hand drum.
ツヅミ Usage 2%
Etymology The kanji 鼓 originally depicted a drum with a stand and a hand holding a stick. The reading つづみ is a native Japanese word of uncertain origin, possibly related to the sound of drumming.
三さん の 鼓つづみ
hourglass drum used in Nara-period court music
