zither

American  

[zith-er, zith-] / ˈzɪθ ər, ˈzɪð- /

noun

1. a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips.

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zither British  

/ ˈzɪðə /

noun

1. a plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard

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Other Word Forms

• zitherist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of zither

1840–50; < German < Latin cithara < Greek kithárá; see kithara

Compare meaning

How does zither compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• zither vs. Autoharp

Explanation

A zither is a musical instrument, kind of like a guitar without the neck and way more strings. You play a zither by strumming or plucking the strings with your fingers or a pick. Zither comes from the same root word as guitar — the Greek word kithara for "lute.” They’re all stringed instruments, but a zither’s strings go across the sound box. An Autoharp is a kind of zither, so if you've played an Autoharp, you've played a zither. Zithers are often used in European folk music, and have about 30-40 strings. Originally, the zither was an Austrian instrument, but it’s been used in England since the mid-1850s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zither

Women wearing long wigs and ornate traditional dresses milled around a pebbled courtyard, stopping to snap photos under a pavilion, as the melodious strumming of the Chinese zither played in the background.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025

Diners listen to the guzheng, a Chinese zither, while they sit at boat-shaped tables surrounded by landscapes around the West Lake, an icon of the coastal province.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2025

“We had this weird guitar ensemble,” says Graham, “with lots of different guitars and mandolins, mandocellos, a zither, some keyboards — all old-fashioned stuff — bass, some percussion, a couple of cellos and a harmonica.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2023

For “Bound,” Huang turned to Vietnamese instruments, using both the đàn bầu, a type of lute, and đàn tranh, a type of zither.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

Korla theater had come into style in the nearby capital of Turfan, and the resulting income had brought other arts—Sogdian inlay, Chinese zither players, Kuchean dancers.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri