biwa

== English == === Etymology === Borrowing from Japanese 琵琶 (biwa). Doublet of bipa and pipa. === Noun === biwa (plural biwas or biwa) A plucked lute, originating in the classical and traditional music of Japan, characterized by a pear-shaped body and four or five high frets, giving the instrument a distinctively twangy tone. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== Appendix:Glossary of chordophones ==== References ==== 2013. Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. William Malm. Pg. 44. 2015. Japanese Singers of Tales: Ten Centuries of Performed Narrative. Alison McQueen Tokita. Pg. 60. === Anagrams === wabi == Indonesian == === Etymology === From Japanese 琵琶湖 (biwa, “Lake Biwa”), referring to where the pearls are first cultured. === Noun === biwa Cultured freshwater pearls, especially referring to the flat type of biwa pearls === Further reading === “biwa”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Japanese == === Romanization === biwa Rōmaji transcription of びわ Rōmaji transcription of ビワ == Sakizaya == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bi.ˈwa/, [bi.ˈwa] === Noun === biwa loquat tree