ギター
gitā[ɡʲita̠ː]
The English phrase guitar is ギター (gitā) in Japanese.
ギター refers to the musical instrument. To say "to play the guitar", use the phrase ギターを弾く.
Meaning: musical instrument (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ギター is a loanword from English and is written in Katakana, which is the Japanese script used for foreign-derived words.
How do you pronounce it?
gitā
Did you know?
- While ギター refers to Western guitars, Japan has a traditional lute called the 琵琶 'biwa', which was used by blind monks to chant epic poems.
- In Japan, the ギター is often associated with 'folk' music, which refers specifically to 1960s-style acoustic singer-songwriters rather than traditional folklore.
- The word ギター is a loanword from English, which borrowed it from Spanish 'guitarra', which traces back to the Ancient Greek word κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ 'kithara'.
Examples in context
- 君はギター弾く？Do you play the guitar?Tatoeba #13428417 by demiurgastel, translation #2050572 by CK
- ギターが欲しいです。I want a guitar.Tatoeba #226063 by bunbuku, translation #63403 by CK
- ギターの弦が切れた。I broke a string on my guitar.Tatoeba #2751135 by tommy_san, translation #340462 by fendtwick
- ギターを弾くのが好きです。I love playing the guitar.
- 彼はとても上手にギターを弾きます。He plays the guitar very well.
- ギター買ったよ！I bought a guitar!
- 今日はギターの練習をしましょう。Let's practice the guitar today.
- 新しいギターを買いました。それはエレキギターです。I bought a new guitar. It's an electric guitar.
- 子供の頃からギターに夢中です。I have been obsessed with the guitar since I was a child.
- 103 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A music shop where a man and a woman are looking at instruments.
- 大翔 Hirotoあのギター、すごくかっこいいですね。Ano gitaa, sugoku kakkoii desu ne.That guitar is really cool, isn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、大翔さんが好きそうなデザインです。Hai, Hiroto-san ga suki souna dezain desu.Yes, it's a design that looks like something you would like, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ。試奏してもいいですか？Hontou da. Shisou shite mo ii desu ka?You're right. May I try playing it?
- 結衣 Yuiもちろんです。店員さんを呼びましょう。Mochiron desu. Tenin-san wo yobimashou.Of course. Let's call the shop assistant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guitar” translations and entries ギター, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ギター, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
