Definition of khaen
plural khaens
also khenes
or kaens
or khens
: 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
