How do you say "instrument" in Japanese?

楽器

gakki

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "instrument" is 楽器 (gakki).

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Pronunciation

Gakki has a firm double-k, said gak-ki with a brief stop in the middle, giving it a tight, percussive rhythm.

Writing and usage

楽器 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

バイオリンは習得が難しい楽器です。

baiorin ha shuutoku ga muzukashii gakki desu.

The violin is a difficult instrument to learn.

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How to remember 楽器

Gakki shares its sound with the word for semester, so picture a music class where every gakki, every term, means a new instrument to learn.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 楽器

How do you pronounce 楽器?

Gakki has a firm double-k, said gak-ki with a brief stop in the middle, giving it a tight, percussive rhythm.

Is 楽器 formal or casual?

楽器 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 楽器 written in Japanese?

楽器 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as gakki.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Instrument" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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