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A Japanese musical instrument, the koto is a long zither with movable bridges and usually 13 strings. It lies on the ground or a low table, and the strings are plucked by picks worn on the fingers of the right hand while the left hand alters the pitch or ornaments the sound of individual strings by pressing or manipulating them. It is played solo, in chamber ensembles, especially with the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and the samisen (a three-stringed instrument resembling a banjo), and in gagaku music, the traditional court and religious music of Japan. The koto is Japan's national instrument.
Examples of koto in a Sentence
Linda McIntosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
The former includes the debut of the Improvisation Trio featuring Fujii, Kanoko Nishi on koto and Theresa Wong on cello accompanied by a bento box dinner and Japanese wine (all included in the price of the ticket).
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Andrew Gilbert,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
My koto teacher, Michiko-sensei, always wore Japanese clothes.
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Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
The band, known for incorporating the Japanese koto, is returning after a two-year hiatus.
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Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
24 July 2025
In Japan, the saying riku no koto is used to describe a place that’s so close yet so far away, inaccessible despite its proximity.
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Kevin Chroust,
Outside Online,
5 Feb. 2025
All of the stories benefit from the music of Mattea Mazzella, who complements his comic acting skills with some hypnotic sounds from the harp-like koto, ethereal tones from his shakuhachi flute and propulsive rhythms on taiko drums.
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Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
21 Jan. 2024
In addition to Cook’s archive of Japanese koto, New Orleans blues, and Trinidadian music, there were recordings like 1965’s Cook’s Tour of High Fidelity.
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Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Koto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koto. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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