drum, beat, rouse, muster

About this kanji

The kanji 鼓 (pronounced as コ in on'yomi and つづみ in kun'yomi) primarily means "drum." It is commonly used as a noun, but you may also see it in verbs related to rhythm and encouragement. For example, 太鼓 (たいこ) means "drum," while 鼓動 (こどう) translates to "beat," often in the context of a heartbeat. Another interesting compound is 鼓舞 (こぶ), which means "encouragement"—the idea of motivating someone much like the beat of a drum. A usage note: since 鼓 relates to sounds and rhythm, it can evoke feelings of celebration or action in Japanese culture.

Example sentences

• 祭りのために太鼓を叩く。

  I beat the drum for the festival.

Meanings across languages

English

drum, beat, rouse, muster

Tiếng Việt

trống, nhịp, khơi dậy, tập hợp

日本語

ドラム, 打つ, 奮起させる, 招集する

한국어

북, 박자, 재촉하다, 모으다

中文

鼓, 打击, 激励, 集合

id

drum

th

กลอง

es

tambor

fr

tambour

de

Trommel

pt

tambor

Common compounds

• 太鼓たいこdrum
• 鼓動こどうbeat, palpitation, pulsation
• 鼓舞こぶencouragement, inspiration, rousing
• 太鼓判たいこばんlarge seal, large stamp, seal of approval
• 鼓膜こまくeardrum, tympanic membrane
• 舌鼓したつづみsmacking one's lips (over food)
• 大太鼓おおだいこlarge drum, bass drum
• 一鼓いっこthe first beat of the war drum

Words using this kanji