本曲

Japanese

Kanji in this term
本	曲
ほん Grade: 1	きょく Grade: 3
on’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 本 (hon, “main; current, this”) +‎ 曲 (kyoku, “piece(s) of music”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ほんきょく [hòńkyókú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [hõ̞ŋʲkʲo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

本(ほん)曲(きょく) • (honkyoku) 

1. (music) those pieces of traditional Japanese music composed primarily for the 尺八 (shakuhachi) flute, but also including the 胡弓(こきゅう) (kokyū, “Japanese bowed lute with three or four strings”), and the 琴(こと) (koto)
2. this piece of music, the relevant piece of music (as established earlier in the conversation)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “traditional Japanese music”): 外(がい)曲(きょく) (gaikyoku): those pieces of traditional Japanese music composed for other instruments than the shakuhachi, kokyū, and koto