taiko

noun

tai·​ko ˈtī-(ˌ)kō 

plural taikos or taiko

1

or less commonly taiko drum plural taiko drums : any of various traditional Japanese wooden drums

… the sound of the great taiko is said to resemble a mother's heartbeat as felt in the womb …

—Stephi Wild

Taiko come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and sounds.

—G Adventure

Liu did a cartwheel on the ice after being introduced at the 2025 world championship and banged a Japanese taiko drum … at the Grand Prix final.

—Carole Glines

—often used before another noun

taiko drummers

a taiko drumming group

taiko drum workshops/performances

2

or taiko drumming : the art of playing taiko drums especially as an ensemble

Taiko is an exciting display of strength and power through music that enthralls all ages …

—Frumie Selchen, quoted in The Caledonian Record

Taiko is taught orally through … a phonetic system representing the drum sounds.

—Shuge Luo

[Quinten] Fairchild [drummer] said the ensemble, as opposed to a single drummer, is a relatively new style of taiko drumming first developed by Daihachi Oguchi in 1951.

—Cody Roberts

[Daihachi] Oguchi is credited as a pioneer in bringing the traditional, respected art of taiko drumming from the country's festivals and shrines to its concert halls. … He helped turn the traditional form into a dramatic performance spectacle.

—The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, "drum"

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1