a Japanese stringed instrument, consisting of a rectangular wooden body over which are stretched silk strings, which are plucked with plectrums or a nail-like device
Word origin
Japanese
koto in American English
(ˈkoʊtoʊ)
noun
a Japanese musical instrument of the zither family, with a rectangular body and seven to thirteen waxed silk strings
Word origin
Jpn, a generic term for zitherlike stringed instruments