King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

琵 — kanji meaning “glissando on strings”

glissando on strings, lute

Meanings
glissando on strings, lute
On'yomi
Kun'yomi
Strokes
12
School grade
9
Newspaper frequency
#1965 of 2,500
Classical radical
96
Chinese reading
pí — Chinese character page

Words with 琵

WordReadingMeaning
びわ biwabiwa (Japanese lute)
びわこ biwakoLake Biwa; Biwako
さつまびわ satsumabiwaSatsuma biwa; Satsuma lute
びわこう biwakoubiwa song
びやぼん biyabonEdo-period mouth harp (with a hairpin-like frame and a long straight tongue)
びわます biwamasubiwa trout (Oncorhynchus masou rhodurus); biwa salmon
びわのこと biwanokotobiwa (4 or 5-stringed Oriental lute)
へいけびわ heikebiwaHeike biwa; Heike lute; biwa with 4 strings and 5 frets, esp. for accompanying the Heike Monogatari
びわひがい biwahigaiBiwa oily gudgeon (Sarcocheilichthys variegatus microoculus)
がくびわ gakubiwalarge 4-stringed biwa used in gagaku
びわほうし biwahoushilute priest; minstrel; blind travelling biwa player dressed like a Buddhist monk
びわぼくぼく biwabokubokubiwa-bokuboku; yōkai in the shape of a Buddhist priest with the head of a biwa

Data: KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.