sanshin

S1A1N1S1H4I1N1

noun

A three-stringed instrument of Okinawan origin, the precursor to the shamisen.

OriginJapanese 三線 ← Okinawan 三線 →
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Meanings

nounsanshin (plural sanshins)

plural sanshins

  1. entertainmentA three-stringed instrument of Okinawan origin, the precursor to the shamisen.

Origin

  1. Okinawan三線
  2. Japanese三線
  3. Englishsanshin

Borrowed from Japanese 三線 (sanshin) or Okinawan 三線 (sanshin, literally “three strings”). Doublet of sanxian.

More words from Japanese, Okinawan

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sanshin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanshin

MLA

“sanshin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanshin. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sanshin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanshin.

Source: sanshin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.