Japanese word

鍵盤

Pronunciation

Romajikenban

Meaning

  • nounkeyboard

Example

彼は鍵盤をゆっくり弾きます。kare wa ken ban o yu kku ri hi ki ma su

He plays the keyboard slowly.

Illustration for 鍵盤 (keyboard)

More examples

彼女は目を閉じたまま、鍵盤に指を置きました。kano jo wa me o to ji ta ma ma ken ban ni yubi o o ki ma shi ta

She placed her fingers on the keyboard with her eyes closed.

Core concept

Describes the ordered set of keys through which a player selects musical pitches.

Common phrases

  • 鍵盤を弾くken ban o hi ku

    play the keyboard

  • 鍵盤に触れるken ban ni fu re ru

    touch the keyboard

Definition in Japanese

ピアノなどの楽器で音の高さを選ぶために並べた白鍵と黒鍵。pi a no na do no gak ki de oto no taka sa o era bu ta me ni nara be ta hak ken to kok ken

Word origin

The compound 鍵盤 (kenban, "keyboard") combines 鍵 (ken, "key") and 盤 (ban, "board or surface"), describing keys arranged on a playing surface.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use keyboard for a computer input device, while this Japanese word normally points to the musical keys of a piano or similar instrument.

Word lists with this word