Chinese word

钢琴

Pronunciation

Pinyingāng qín

Meaning

  • nounpiano

Example

我会弹钢琴。wǒ huì tán gāng qín

I can play the piano.

Illustration for 钢琴 (piano)

More examples

她每天练习钢琴两个小时。tā měi tiān liàn xí gāng qín liǎng gè xiǎo shí

She practices the piano for two hours every day.

Core concept

A keyboard instrument that turns each key press into a small hammer striking a string to make music.

Common phrases

  • 弹钢琴tán gāng qín

    play the piano

  • 学钢琴xué gāng qín

    learn piano

  • 练习钢琴liàn xí gāng qín

    practice the piano

Similar words

琴qín: A general term for a string instrument played by plucking or bowing its strings.
键盘jiàn pán: A set of keys arranged for playing notes on a musical instrument.
电子琴diàn zi qín: A keyboard instrument that produces sound through electronic circuits.

Definition in Chinese

一种有键盘的西洋弦乐器，按键驱动内部击弦装置使琴弦振动发声，常用于独奏、伴奏和教学。yì zhǒng yǒu jiàn pán de xī yáng xián yuè qì àn jiàn qū dòng nèi bù jī xián zhuāng zhì shǐ qín xián zhèn dòng fā shēng cháng yòng yú dú zòu bàn zòu hé jiào xué

Word origin

The name combines 钢 (gāng, "steel") for the piano's metal parts with 琴 (qín, "stringed instrument") for its kind of instrument.

Usage tips

  • English uses play for many instruments, while Chinese uses 弹 (tán, "to play a string instrument") with a piano, showing that Chinese can name the action more specifically.

Related words

  • 钢琴家gāng qín jiāpianistnoun
  • 钢琴曲gāng qín qǔpiano piecenoun
  • 钢琴演奏gāng qín yǎn zòupiano performancenoun

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