Definition of "koto" []

• A Japanese musical instrument similar to a zither, having usually 13, but sometimes as few as 1 or as many as 17, silk strings stretched over an oblong box. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Young men who are unskilled in koto or fué [harp or flute] amuse themselves with tonearasoi 1 and imayo, 2 and at such a time this is entertaining."
• "2 A koto is called a horizontal harp, but it consists of a number of strings stretched the length of the instrument, the scale made by an arrangement of bridges placed under the strings, and played upon by four ivory keys worn on the four fingers of the right hand."
• "The koto is a large thirteen-stringed lute that rests on the floor when played."