khaen

noun

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\ ˈken

variants: or less commonly khene or kaen or khen

plural khaens also khenes or kaens or khens

Definition of khaen

: a Southeast Asian mouth organ that consists of a small wooden reservoir through which pass a set of six to eighteen long bamboo pipes each with a tiny metal free reed in a side opening and that is played by exhaling and inhaling In Thailand and Laos, the mouth organ called the khaen is also used for dancing, often while playing the instrument …— Jeremy Montagu, Origins and Development of Musical Instruments, 2007