koto

American  

[koh-toh, kaw-taw] / ˈkoʊ toʊ, ˈkɔˈtɔ /

noun

• kotos,
  plural
• koto
  plural

1. a Japanese musical instrument having numerous strings, usually seven or thirteen, that are stretched over a convex wooden sounding board and are plucked with three plectra, worn on the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of one hand.

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koto British  

/ ˈkəʊtəʊ /

noun

1. a Japanese stringed instrument, consisting of a rectangular wooden body over which are stretched silk strings, which are plucked with plectrums or a nail-like device

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• koto
  plural
• kotos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of koto

Borrowed into English from Japanese around 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

koto kotos

It featured Japanese instruments like taiko drums and koto yet played jazz and rhythm and blues, laced with pop and funk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2022

In these extraordinary intricate and intimate duets, a boisterous trombone is shown to possess a seemingly impossibly delicate soul; a formal koto tradition is shown to live in the moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2020

Like the Coltranes, father and son, Tyner has worked hard to integrate African, Latin and Asian elements into his jazz, introducing such instruments as wood flute, koto and hand drums into his arrangements.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2018

“But I chose to use actual koto strings on it, simply because they have a nicer sound.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2015

He heard the children shouting and calling, and from a window that he passed came the twang of the koto, and everything seemed to cry a welcome for his return.

From The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

Therefore kotos does not bide its time for taking vengeance, but in course of time spends itself.

From Summa Theologica, Part I-II (Pars Prima Secundae) From the Complete American Edition by Saint Thomas Aquinas