Kyoku
/ˈkjoʊ.kuː/noun
A Japanese musical composition, especially a traditional piece performed on instruments such as the koto.
Did you know?The Japanese character 曲 originally meant “bent” or “curved,” but developed the musical sense “tune” or “composition” in Classical Chinese and Japanese.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
曲
“Bent, crooked, or curved; later also a tune or musical piece”
1st–6th Century CE
Middle Chinese
曲 (khjowk)
“A bend, a turn, or a musical composition”
6th–8th Century CE
Middle Chinese → Japanese
kyoku
“Japanese Sino-derived reading of 曲, meaning a musical piece or tune”
Heian Period, 794–1185
Japanese
曲 (kyoku)
“A composition or instrumental musical piece, including forms used in court and instrumental music”
19th–20th Century
English
kyoku
“A Japanese musical composition, particularly in descriptions of traditional Japanese music”
Modern English
English
kyoku
“A specialized loanword for a Japanese musical piece”