# to play an instrument - hiku, fuku, tataku



## Nino83

Minasan konnichiwa.

There are at least three different verbs for "to play" in Japanese.

For _tataku_ there is no problem. _Tataku = to hit = percuotere_ (strumenti a percussione/percussion instruments).

As for _fuku_, even if there is a difference between _ottoni/brass_ (where you blow a raspberry, making your lips vibrate) and _ance/reeds_ (where you simply blow, it's the reed that vibrates), we call these instruments _strumenti a fiato/wind instruments_.

I don't understand a thing about the verb _hiku_.
I read that it generally means _to pull/draw/catch_ and in music it means _pizzicare/to pluck_ (ピッツィカート = _pizzicato_, past participle of _pizzicare_).
It works well for strings, guitars, basses, harpsichords but it is a bit strage for piano, which is a percussion instrument.
In harpsichords there is a pick which plucks the string while in pianos there is a hammer which hits or strikes the string.

So, why don't you say _piano o tataku_ instead of _piano o hiku_? 

A pianist literally _hiku_ the piano when he plucks directly the strings like this. 

Does the verb _hiku_ have a wider meaning, including struck instruments? 

Arigatō gozaimasu


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## Quiquezo

Hello.
use "hiku" for all the musical instruments that have "string".
More specifically,
there are 3 types of string instruments in Japanese. for all these, put the verb "hiku".

撥弦楽器 hatsu gen gakki (gakki is musical instrument)
instrument to "pick" strings: e.g. guitar, koto, harpsichord 

擦弦楽器 satsu gen gakki 
instrument to rub string, e.g: violin, erhu (Chinese classical violin), viola

打弦楽器 dagen gakki
instrument to hit the string, e.g: piano

personally, I find your question is very interesting. in Chinese, play the piano can be interpreted as <tap or hit the piano> focusing the action of generating sound, in Japanese, focus on the object which generates sound.


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## Nino83

Hi, Quiquezo, thank you for the interesting answer and welome to the forum!
So it doesn't matter if you pluck the string with your hands, with a pick, if you rub it with a bow or if you hit it with a piano hammer, the important thing is that there is a string. Very interesting!
Why is the meaning of the verb _hiku_ linked with the object that generates the sound?
For example, the verbs _fuku_ and _tataku_ focus on the action (to blow, to hit). Do you have some thought about this?


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## frequency

Nino83 said:


> So, why don't you say _piano o tataku_ instead of _piano o hiku_?


That's just the way to say. Or, that is to say that you play a musical instrument, not to break it. (cross-post with Quiquezo)


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## Nino83

frequency said:


> Or, that is to say that you play a musical instrument,* not to break it*.


Poor percussion instruments. They'll end up breaking down! 
(I find it strange because _piano_ is a percussion instrument, like _marimba, vibraphone_, what changes is that intead of a piece of wood/metal you hit a string)


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## DaylightDelight

Hiku is written in kanji as 弾く, and this character represents the action "to hit", "to flick" or "to pluck".  So, it's kind of natural for us to use hiku for "picking" instruments such as guitar and harp, and also for "hitting" instruments such as marimba, glockenspiel and piano.
Tataku is usually used only for non-melodic percussion such as bongo, drum.  For melodic percussion such as marimba, we usually use hiku.

Hiku is also used as the catch-all verb for musical instruments.  For example, when you don't know what instrument the other person plays at all, then you'll ask "君はなにがひける？"  You can only ask "君はなにがふける?" or "君はなにをたたける？" only if you already have some idea about instruments the person plays.


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## Quiquezo

>Why is the meaning of the verb _hiku_ linked with the object that generates the sound?

you know, any language has "exception", Piano o hiku might be exception in a sense. just for the curiosity, I've checked other instruments which might be special case or "exception".
for teremin, Theremin - Wikipedia
generally, teremin o enso suru: play the teremin. but! I've found another sentence! "teremin o hiku".
mmm... interesting, isn't it? teremin doesn't have any string, but use the verb "hiku".
another example: Melodica (in Japan, it's called pianica)Melodica - Wikipedia
theoretically, the sentence to play the melodica is supposed to be "pianica o fuku" because the sound of melodica is generated by blowing. however, we never say that.
natural sentence... at least for me ...is "pianica o hiku" 'cause pianica looks like piano.

>For example, the verbs _fuku_ and _tataku_ focus on the action (to blow, to hit). Do you have some thought about this?
fuku for trumpet, tataku for drum or percussion generally.
y the way, I'm enthusiastic fan of Nogaku (classical Japanese opera) generally, instruments used for Nogaku are Tsuzumi (large, middle, and small tsuzumi) and bamboo flute.
for Tsuzumi, never say "tsuzumi o tataku" , say "tsuzumi  o utsu".
mmm... as far as I can imagine, verb "tataku" is the verb created later than 18th century. 
Nogaku is much older. that's why "utsu" is used for very classical instruments??? 

how about Italian? do you have special or particular word for very classical instruments like lute or harpsicord?


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## Quiquezo

for "piano o hiku" ピアノを弾く
here's another hypothesis:

in Chinese, play the piano 弹钢琴 
弹 in Chinese means hit or shot. just as you mentioned!

the verb 弾く might have come from Chinese. that's all I can suppose.


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## DaylightDelight

In piano's case, probably it's more to do with the player's motion than the instrument's mechanism.
We use the same hiku for piano, organ, accordion, and various other keyboard instruments.
I think it's quite possible that hiku (hit, tap) here refers to the player's keyboard-tapping.


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## Nino83

Thank you very much!


DaylightDelight said:


> Hiku is written in kanji as 弾く, and this character represents the action "to hit", "to flick" or "to pluck". So, it's kind of natural for us to use hiku for "picking" instruments such as guitar and harp, and also for "hitting" instruments such as marimba, glockenspiel and piano.





DaylightDelight said:


> In piano's case, probably it's more to do with the player's motion than the instrument's mechanism.
> We use the same hiku for piano, organ, accordion, and various other keyboard instruments.
> I think it's quite possible that hiku (hit, tap) here refers to the player's keyboard-tapping.





Quiquezo said:


> in Chinese, play the piano 弹钢琴
> 弹 in Chinese means hit or shot. just as you mentioned!
> the verb 弾く might have come from Chinese. that's all I can suppose.





Quiquezo said:


> natural sentence... at least for me ...is "pianica o hiku"





DaylightDelight said:


> Tataku is usually used only for non-melodic percussion such as bongo, drum. For melodic percussion such as marimba, we usually use hiku.


This is interesting.
So the kanji 弹 (and, maybe, consequently the verb _hiku_) also means "to hit/flick", and this explains why the verb _hiku_ is also used for non-stringed instruments like organ, accordion, pianica, marimba and vibraphone.


DaylightDelight said:


> Hiku is also used as the catch-all verb for musical instruments. For example, when you don't know what instrument the other person plays at all, then you'll ask "君はなにがひける？"


This explains many things.


Quiquezo said:


> generally, teremin o enso suru: play the teremin. but! I've found another sentence! "teremin o hiku".
> mmm... interesting, isn't it? teremin doesn't have any string, but use the verb "hiku".


It seems _hiku_ is the general verb, also for some instruments that are not so easily classifiable.

After you coments, it seems that _tataku_ is used for non-melodic percussion instruments (except very old ones like _tsuzumi_), _fuku_ for wind instruments that don't have a piano-like keyboard and _hiku_ for wind and percussive instruments that have a piano-like keyboard (from accordion to vibraphone).


Quiquezo said:


> how about Italian? do you have special or particular word for very classical instruments like lute or harpsicord?


We use only one verb. 
_Suonare_ (Italian, cognate of the English _to_ _sound_), _tocar_ (Spanish, Portuguese, cognate of  the Italian _toccare = to touch_), _jouer_ (French, cognate of the Italian _giocare = to play_), _to play_ (English).
_Lui suona la batteria/la chitarra/il sassofono_.
_Él toca la batería/la guitarra/el saxofón_.
_Ele toca a bateria/o violão/o saxofone_. 
_Il joue de la batterie/ de la guitare/du saxophone_.
_He plays the drums/guitar/saxophone_._ 

_


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