This list includes 32 Musical instruments that start with K, from “K’ni” to “Kèn bầu”. These instruments span strings, winds, percussion, and keyboard traditions worldwide and appear in folk, classical, and ensemble settings.
Musical instruments that start with K are named items whose English or transliterated names begin with the letter K. Several, like the Cambodian K’ni and the Vietnamese kèn bầu, carry deep ceremonial and communal significance.
Below you’ll find the table with Family, Origin, and Materials.
Family: The instrument family shows whether it’s a string, wind, percussion, or keyboard instrument, helping you compare roles and timbre.
Origin: Origin provides the country or region and era, so you can see cultural background and historical context at a glance.
Materials: Materials lists primary construction substances like wood, metal, skin, or synthetic parts, helping you understand durability and sound character.
Musical instruments that start with K
| Name | Family | Origin | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamancheh | String — bowed | Persia/Middle East — ancient | Mulberry wood, animal skin membrane, steel strings |
| Kora | String — plucked (harp-lute) | West Africa — traditional | Calabash gourd, cowhide soundboard, hardwood neck, nylon strings |
| Kalimba | Idiophone: plucked (lamellophone) | Zimbabwe — c. 1,300 years ago | Wooden board or gourd resonator, metal tines |
| Koto | String — plucked (zither) | Japan — 8th c. | Paulownia wood body, movable ivory/plastic bridges, silk strings |
| Kazoo | Aerophone: mirliton | USA — 19th c. | Metal or plastic tube, waxed paper or plastic membrane |
| Kettledrum (Timpani) | Membranophone: struck | Europe — 15th c. | Large copper or fiberglass bowl, calfskin or plastic head |
| Kayagum (Gayageum) | String — plucked (zither) | Korea — 6th c. | Paulownia wood body, movable bridges, silk strings |
| Kaval | Aerophone: woodwind (flute) | Balkans/Anatolia — ancient | Boxwood, ash, cornel wood, or plastic |
| Khaen (Khene) | Aerophone: free-reed | Southeast Asia (Laos/Thailand) — ancient | Bamboo pipes, hardwood windchest |
| Kangling | Aerophone: brass (trumpet) | Tibet — traditional | Human femur or tibia, sometimes with metal mouthpiece and bell |
| Khim | String — struck (hammered dulcimer) | Thailand/Cambodia — 19th c. | Trapezoidal hardwood box, steel strings, bamboo mallets |
| Khol | Membranophone: struck (drum) | India (Bengal/Odisha) — 15th c. | Terracotta or fiberglass body, goatskin heads of different sizes |
| Komuz | String — plucked (lute) | Kyrgyzstan — ancient | Single piece of apricot or juniper wood, gut or nylon strings |
| Kpanlogo | Membranophone: struck (drum) | Ghana — 1950s | Carved hardwood body, antelope or goatskin head, wooden pegs |
| Kundu | Membranophone: struck (drum) | Papua New Guinea — traditional | Carved hardwood, lizard skin head, beeswax for tuning |
| Kanjira | Membranophone: struck (frame drum) | India — 19th c. | Jackfruit wood frame, monitor lizard skin head, one metal jingle |
| Kemençe (Kemenche) | String — bowed | Black Sea Region (Turkey/Greece) — traditional | Mulberry or plum wood body, fir top, gut or steel strings |
| Kkwaenggwari | Idiophone: struck (gong) | Korea — ancient | Brass or bronze alloy, cloth-tipped mallet |
| Kokyū | String — bowed | Japan — 16th c. | Wood body, snakeskin covers, three or four silk strings |
| Kulintang | Idiophone: struck (gong-chime) | Southeast Asia (Philippines/Indonesia) — ancient | Brass or bronze pot gongs arranged on a wooden rack |
| Kubing | Idiophone: plucked (jaw harp) | Philippines — traditional | Bamboo or metal strip with a flexible tongue |
| Krar | String — plucked (lyre) | Ethiopia/Eritrea — ancient | Wood or ceramic bowl, skin soundboard, gut or nylon strings |
| Kuvytsi | Aerophone: woodwind (pan flute) | Ukraine — traditional | Cane, reed, or wood tubes of graduated length bound together |
| Kus | Membranophone: struck (drum) | India — ancient | Large kettledrums, often played in pairs from horseback |
| K‘ni | String — bowed | Vietnam — traditional | Bamboo tube, metal string, thread connected to a disc in the player’s mouth |
| Keleli | Aerophone: brass (trumpet) | Chad — traditional | Tin or other metal, often with a flared bell |
| Kèn bầu | Aerophone: woodwind (double reed) | Vietnam — traditional | Hardwood body, gourd or metal bell, small bamboo reed |
| Kontigi | String — plucked (lute) | West Africa (Hausa) — traditional | Gourd body, animal skin soundboard, wood neck, horsehair strings |
| Krap | Idiophone: struck (clapper) | Thailand — traditional | Two pieces of hardwood or bamboo |
| Klong Yao | Membranophone: struck (drum) | Thailand — traditional | Long, carved wood body, skin head |
| Kromanti drum | Membranophone: struck (drum) | Jamaica — traditional | Hollowed log (often cedar), goatskin head, pegs |
| Keytar | Electrophone: synthesizer | USA — 1980s | Plastic body, electronic components, metal keys |
Descriptions
Kamancheh
A spherical-bodied, spiked fiddle played vertically on the knee. It has a haunting, vocal-like tone and is prominent in classical Persian and related musical traditions.
Kora
A 21-string instrument combining features of a lute and a harp. It produces a shimmering, complex sound and is central to the Griot storytelling tradition.
Kalimba
Often called a “thumb piano,” it’s played by plucking metal tines with the thumbs. It creates a gentle, bell-like, hypnotic sound popular in world music.
Koto
A large, 13-string zither and a national instrument of Japan. Played with finger picks, it produces a delicate, resonant, and expressive sound used in classical music.
Kazoo
A simple instrument that adds a buzzing timbre to the player’s hummed voice. It modifies the voice rather than creating a tone on its own, popular in folk music.
Kettledrum (Timpani)
A large, tunable drum that produces a definite pitch. Used in sets in orchestras, providing powerful rhythmic and harmonic support with a booming, resonant sound.
Kayagum (Gayageum)
A traditional Korean zither with 12 strings, related to the Japanese koto. It is known for its subtle pitch-bending and vibrato effects, creating an elegant sound.
Kaval
An end-blown, chromatic flute traditionally used by shepherds. It has a rich, breathy, and pastoral tone, often played with circular breathing techniques.
Khaen (Khene)
A mouth organ with multiple bamboo pipes arranged in two rows. It can play chords and melody simultaneously, producing a vibrant, reedy sound central to folk music.
Kangling
A ritual trumpet used in Tibetan Buddhism made from a human thigh bone. Its piercing sound is a spiritual tool, not typically used for melodic music.
Khim
A hammered dulcimer played by striking strings with small mallets. Its bright, shimmering tone is a common feature in Thai and Cambodian classical ensembles.
Khol
A two-sided drum with one head smaller than the other, producing distinct bass and treble tones. It is the primary percussion in devotional Bengali music.
Komuz
The national instrument of Kyrgyzstan, this three-stringed, fretless lute is carved from a single piece of wood and used for storytelling and accompanying epic poems.
Kpanlogo
A peg-tuned, single-headed drum played with the hands. It is the lead instrument in the Kpanlogo music and dance style of the Ga people in Accra.
Kundu
An hourglass-shaped, single-headed drum, often intricately carved. It is the most common instrument in Papua New Guinea, used to accompany singing and dancing in ceremonies.
Kanjira
A small frame drum with a single jingle, used in South Indian Carnatic music. The player alters the pitch by pressing the skin with their free hand.
Kemençe (Kemenche)
A small, three-stringed, bottle-shaped fiddle played upright on the knee. It has a sharp, poignant sound and is used extensively in Pontic folk music.
Kkwaenggwari
A small, hand-held flat gong that leads the ensemble in Samul Nori (Korean percussion music). It produces a piercing, high-pitched, clangorous sound used for signaling.
Kokyū
The only bowed string instrument in traditional Japanese music. Smaller than a shamisen and played upright, it has a soft, melancholic, and expressive tone.
Kulintang
A set of horizontally arranged knobbed gongs that functions as the main melodic instrument in a larger ensemble. It is played with two light wooden beaters.
Kubing
A jaw harp held before the mouth, which acts as a resonator. The player plucks a flexible tongue, creating various overtones by changing their mouth shape.
Krar
A bowl-shaped lyre with five or six strings. It is associated with secular music and love songs, often played by solo musicians known as azmaris.
Kuvytsi
A Ukrainian pan flute consisting of several pipes bound together in a row or bundle. It produces a breathy, ethereal sound common in Hutsul folk music.
Kus
An ancient and medieval Indian war drum, a type of large kettledrum. They were often played in pairs and mounted on elephants or camels during processions and battles.
K‘ni
A unique one-stringed fiddle where the player’s mouth acts as a resonator via a connecting thread, creating eerie, vocal-like sounds and harmonics.
Keleli
A long, slender metal trumpet of the Kanembu people, played in pairs. It produces a loud, blaring sound and is used in ceremonial music for chiefs.
Kèn bầu
A type of oboe with a conical wooden body and a distinctive gourd-shaped bell. It has a loud, penetrating, and nasal tone, prominent in Vietnamese classical music.
Kontigi
A simple one or two-stringed lute of the Hausa people. It is primarily used by griots to accompany storytelling and praise-singing with a raw, rhythmic sound.
Krap
A simple clapper made from two pieces of hardwood or bamboo, struck together to provide rhythmic accentuation in Thai classical and folk music ensembles.
Klong Yao
A long “goblet” drum that is slung over the shoulder and played with the hands. It is used in festive parades and ceremonies, producing a deep, resonant sound.
Kromanti drum
A cylindrical, single-headed drum central to Kromanti religious ceremonies in Maroon communities. It is played with hands and sticks to communicate with ancestors.
Keytar
A lightweight synthesizer supported by a strap and played like a guitar. It gives keyboardists the same stage mobility as guitarists, popular in pop and rock music.