Standard Lemma guide

shamisen

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈʃæmɪsɛn/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A kind of three-stringed Japanese fretless lute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a Japanese stringed instrument resembling a banjo with a long neck and three strings and a fretted fingerboard and a rectangular soundbox; played with a plectrum

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: samisen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stringed instrument

History

Etymology

From Japanese 三味線 (shamisen).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَامِيسِين (šāmīsīn) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: شامیسئن — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: سامیسئن — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: шамисен — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: сјамисен — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: şamisen — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: syamisen — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Chinese Mandarin: 三味線 /三味线 (sānwèixiàn) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Esperanto: ŝamiseno — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Finnish: shamisen — a Japanese musical instrument
  • French: jabisen — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Irish: seamasan — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Japanese: 三味線 (shamisen) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Japanese: 三味線 (samisen) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Korean: 샤미센 (syamisen) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Marathi: शामिसेन (śāmisen) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Russian: сямисэ́н (sjamisɛ́n) — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Turkish: şamisen — a Japanese musical instrument
  • Vietnamese: đàn tam — a Japanese musical instrument