ピアノ
piano[pʲia̠no̞]
The Japanese word for piano is ピアノ (piano).
ピアノ is the everyday word for the keyboard instrument. In music notation the same word is used for softly.
Meaning: a keyboard musical instrument (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say play the piano, use ピアノを弾く, with the verb 弾く (hiku).
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced piano, close to the English word.
What mistakes should you avoid?
For playing the piano, say 弾く rather than 演奏する, which is more formal and refers to a performance.
When do people say it?
A digital piano is called 電子ピアノ.
Did you know?
- The Japanese language uses different verbs for 'playing' based on the instrument. While ピアノ uses 弾く, wind instruments use 吹く ('to blow') and percussion instruments use 叩く ('to hit').
- The Japanese term ピアノ is a 'clipped' version of the much longer loanword ピアノフォルテ, which is the Japanese phonetic transcription of the Italian 'pianoforte'.
- Because ピアノ is a loanword, it is written in katakana, a script that can give the word a 'modern' or 'Western' connotation compared to native Japanese words.
Examples in context
- ピアノは好き？Do you like the piano?This casual question asks whether someone likes ピアノ.Tatoeba #9640768 by bunbuku, translation #69787 by CK
- そのピアノは高い。The piano is expensive.Here ピアノ is the subject of a sentence about price.Tatoeba #8580504 by small_snow, translation #1079491 by keira_n
- ピアノは弾けますか。Can you play the piano?This polite question uses 弾けます, can play, with ピアノ.Tatoeba #1048303 by bunbuku, translation #34911 by CK
- 私はピアノが大好きです。I love the piano.
- 私はピアノを演奏します。I play the piano.
- 友達とピアノを弾きます。I play the piano with my friend.
- 156 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about music in a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren新しいピアノを買いました。Atarashii piano o kaimashita.I bought a new piano.
- 陽葵 Himariわあ、すごいです！Waa, sugoi desu!Wow, that's amazing!
- 蓮 Ren毎日練習しています。Mainichi renshuu shite imasu.I practice every day.
- 陽葵 Himariとても素敵ですね。Totemo suteki desu ne.That's very lovely.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “piano” translations and entries ピアノ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ピアノ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
