ショウ
shō
ショウ (shō) is the Japanese word for the Chinese flute (xiao).
Meaning: Chinese flute (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
shō
Did you know?
- While ショウ means flute in a general Chinese context, in Japanese 'gagaku' court music, the instrument with this name is actually a mouth organ made of bamboo pipes.
- In Japanese poetry, the word 簫 (shō) is often used as a metonym for the sound of a lonely or melancholic wind. It evokes a specific atmosphere of solitude rather than just the physical instrument.
- The ショウ is a central instrument in gagaku, the oldest continuous orchestral music in the world, which has been performed in the Japanese imperial court for over a millennium.
Examples in context
- 可愛いね！あの子はちっちゃいけれど、強いんだよ。How cute! That kid is small, but strong.
- これは古いショウです。Kore wa furui shou desu.This is an old xiao.
- ショウを練習しています。Shou o renshuu shite imasu.I am practicing the xiao.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are at a traditional music concert.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さん、あの楽器はショウですか？Yota-san, ano gakki wa shou desu ka?Yota, is that instrument a xiao?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、中国のショウだと思います。hai, chuugoku no shou da to omoimasu.Yes, I think it is a Chinese xiao.
- 美咲 Misakiとても不思議な音色ですね。totemo fushigi na neiro desu ne.It has a very mysterious sound, doesn't it?
- 陽太 Yota本当にそうですね。hontou ni sou desu ne.It really does.
